Steve Jobs takes medical leave from Apple

By Aemon Malone January 17, 2011

Steve Jobs has been granted medical leave from Apple, according to Reuters. Tim Cook, chief operating officer at Apple, will take over in Jobs’ absence. Jobs made the announcement in an e-mail to Apple employees and did not give any specific details beyond that he was taking leave to “focus on [his] health.” Jobs will remain CEO during his leave and will continue to take part in “major strategic decisions.”

Here’s the e-mail Jobs wrote announcing his decision:

Team,

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Steve

This is not the first time in recent history that Jobs has cited medical reasons for taking time off. Two years ago, in January of 2009, Jobs similarly took an unexpected medical absence from Apple. Jobs returned to his role as full-time CEO in June of that year.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Apple

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Mobile

Apple’s lead designer is leaving the company just three years after replacing Ive

Apple is facing a major departure from its corporate leadership as Evans Hankey, head of hardware design, announced that she will be leaving the role earlier this week. Hankey has been Apple's head of hardware design since 2019 and told colleagues that she will remain in her position for the next six months before her official departure in 2023. While people may be anxious to know who will be replacing her once she leaves, no successor has been named.

Hankey's departure marks a significant change in Apple's research and development department, especially because her time as head of hardware design was relatively brief when comparing it to Jony Ive , who held the position for 20 years before being replaced by her. Both Ive and Hankey have been responsible for shipping some of Apple's most iconic devices, so whoever steps up as the new department head will have quite the reputation to follow.

Computing

The 7 best Macs of all time

Apple products are seen in the store.

Apple has been in the computer business since the very beginning. Over the years there have been some absolute classics, going right back to the company’s first product, the Apple I, in 1976.

Yet it was with the Macintosh line that Apple’s computers really found their feet. They’ve been so successful that these days the best Macs are synonymous with quality, durability, and performance. But even with such a storied history, it’s possible to pick out a few key milestones along the way. These are the greatest hits, a list of the best Macs in history that helped propel Apple to new heights.
Macintosh 128K (1984)

Computing

Move over, Apple — Camo’s update takes on Continuity Camera

The Camo app showing its latest 1.8 update

Reincubate Camo has come out swinging against Apple's Continuity Camera technology with a slew of new controls you won't find anywhere else. These include variable frame rates, intelligent zoom technology, and video stabilization improvements. Many of these go well beyond anything Apple offers in MacOS Ventura.

You may have heard of the Camo app. It allows you to use your iPhone as a Mac webcam and has been a popular piece of software since its release in 2020. Apple may have borrowed a few of Camo's key concepts when it displayed the Continuity Camera at WWDC 22 in June. Undeterred, Reincubate, the company that owns Camo, wants to differentiate itself from Apple's more basic tech. Update 1.8 gives you what Apple does not.