Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is receiving treatment from the Stanford Cancer Center, according to reports in the tabloid National Enquirer and celebrity gossip site Radar Online.
This seems like a real a4Aconsider the sourcea4 moment, but the Enquirer has apparently published photos of Jobs looking obviously ill. Neither the Enquirer story nor its photos have been posted online, but The Daily Mail has a summary. It says Jobs appears a4Apainfully frail and weaka4 in the photos. The Enquirer says it showed the photos to a physician (which is always a reliable way to get a diagnosis) who described Jobs as a4Aclose to terminala4 and likely to have only six weeks to live.
Jobs announced his most recent leave of absence from Apple in January, spurring another round of discussion about his health and the companya4a4s future. There was considerable speculation around the fact that Jobs didna4a4t offer a specific timespan for his leave of absence, suggesting that he could be gone indefinitely.
Jobsa4a4 first leave came in 2004, when he underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer. Then he left again in 2009 for a liver transplant. In each case, Apple was tight-lipped about the reasons for his absence. All Jobs has said publicly is that his leave is medically-related.
If the reports are true, they confirm shareholder fears that Jobs&' condition is serious indeed and that they may have to face Apple&'s future without him. The companya4a4s chief operating officer, Tim Cook, has successfully led Apple during Jobsa4a4 past absences, but Jobs is still seen as the main visionary behind the companya4a4s products. Hence the shareholder demands that Applea4a4s board create a written succession policy, as well as the interest around Jobsa4a4 day-to-day involvement in the company. A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that he remains closely involved with the companya4a4s product development and strategic decisions.
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Companies: Apple
People: Steve Jobs
Companies: Apple
People: Steve Jobs
Anthony is a senior editor at VentureBeat, as well as its reporter on media, advertising, and social networks. Before joining the site in 2008, Anthony worked at the Hollister Free Lance, where he won awards from the California Newspaper Publishers Association for breaking news coverage and writing. He attended Stanford University and now lives in San Francisco. Reach him at anthony@venturebeat.com. (All story pitches should also be sent to tips@venturebeat.com) You can also follow Anthony on Twitter.
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