Jobs' Health Bad For Apple Regardless?

[Vincent Ferrari]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://gawker.com/5159465/how-steve-jobs-turned-minutiae-into-medical-drama' target='_blank'>http://gawker.com/5159465/how-steve...o-medical-drama</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Is the fascination with Steve Jobs's health morbid? As surely morbid as it is necessary. Jobs has not stepped down as Apple's CEO. After the surgery report surfaced, some blogs reported Jobs had been at Apple for meetings. Is he in? Is he out? This nonstop dance has the effect of keeping Jobs at the center of any talk of Apple even when he's ostensibly removed himself from its daily affairs. Only someone with an overweening sense of self-importance would allow this to continue. Unfortunately, that describes Jobs."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1235566818.usr18053.jpeg" /></p><p>While I don't think Steve Jobs' health is anyone's business but his and his family's, I do see where Owen Thomas is coming from here.&nbsp; The constant drama surrounding Jobs' health (much of it media created and related) is a distraction to Apple's business and a drain on the share price as every little hangnail becomes reason to go running from Apple's stock.&nbsp; I'm not one to tell people what to do (except in certain un-family friendly ways) but maybe Owen Thomas is right.&nbsp; Maybe it's time Jobs stepped down and let the company move on without him.&nbsp; As much as that terrifies me and leaves me worried for the future of Apple, maybe it should happen now while he's still healthy enough to help out and steer the company as an advisor.</p><p>Of course, I'm a big huge monster Steve Jobs fan so it would really mean me locking myself in a dark room and weeping uncontrollably for weeks if such a thing were to happen, but maybe that's what's best for Apple in the long run.</p><p>Thoughts?</p>

[doogald]

That's so completely dumb.

Steve Jobs health is his own business. Whether he discloses, what he discloses, is his own business. He owes shareholders nothing - share prices that move based on his health have nothing to do with the company's performance. If he had stolen money from Apple, that's worthy of a shareholder lawsuit. The state of his health is not.

Anybody who writes about rumors and speculates about the state of his health in any serious way really needs to think if they would want similar scrutiny into their own health affairs before they hit the "publish" button.

Leave the guy alone. If he truly is terminal, let him die in peace. If he truly is recuperating from some sort of hormone imbalance, let him recuperate in peace. The company seems to be in fine hands without him, as far as I can tell. I expect that Apple had one month, three month, six month, one year, three year and five year plans in place and the team is executing those plans, and working on any modifications that might be necessary.

[Jason Dunn]

The root problem in all of this is that Steve Jobs, being the egomaniac that he is, has always put himself at the centre of everything - he wanted to be the face of Apple, to be the person who (incorrectly or correctly) is perceived as coming up with everything that Apple does. That created such a Jobs-focused Apple that every time he spoke the media trembled. It's a cult of personality.

The dark side of that coin is that without Jobs, many people aren't sure Apple can "make it". I personally think they can, but Apple will have to find it's voice without Jobs, and that won't be easy or quick. I do think that him stepping away now, while he's still alive, is the best thing for Apple - it will give them a chance to show the world that as a company, they're more than just a bunch of people that Steve Jobs tells what to do.

[Jason Dunn]

Worth reading on this subject:

http://www.cringely.com/2009/02/wheres-steve/

[Spooof]

Obviously Steve is a smart guy and I want him to lead Apple. He often does things that piss me off; however the good he does for Apple and my "user experience" completely out-weighs the bad.

He is a public figure who tries to keep his personal life private. When you are a public figure and you are not transparent people will speculate. In fact I often feel that he tries and puts a spin on everything that is communicated about him (ie he or someone is trying to control the image). This magnifies the analysis and speculation related to all communication that comes from Jobs and Apple.

In the end like everyone else I wish him the best if he is seriously sick and I hope he recovers quickly. This from someone with three immediate family members recovering from cancer. Don't forget how difficult these health issues are for his wife and kids.