Is it fair to analyze Steve Jobs' appearance? - Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 
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Is it fair to analyze Steve Jobs' appearance?

Posted Jun 11 2008, 01:11 PM by Kim Peterson
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I've been avoiding the ongoing Web chatter over Steve Jobs' health, but the Wall Street Journal has now jumped in and that's going to ratchet up the debate a little bit. After seeing Jobs' keynote speech earlier this week, people are speculating that he may be ill, and the company confirmed to the Journal that Jobs is on antibiotics after coming down with "a common bug" recently. 

I can't think of any other CEO whose appearance falls under such scrutiny. Part of this stems from the fact that Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four years ago and underwent surgery to treat it. Apple didn't disclose this to shareholders until later, stirring up some controversy because some felt this should have been made public earlier. 

Is it any of our business? It seems invasive and kind of rude to be talking about the man's health. But at the same time, shareholders are understandably watchful over their investment, and any investment in Apple is an investment in Jobs. Without him, the company -- and its stock price -- would fall.

Here's a one-minute video summary of Jobs' keynote, in case you missed it. Apple shares, by the way, are down 2% today to $181.93.


 

Related reading:

Apple's big iPhone news 

Answering your iPhone questions

Preposterous but true: Apple's worth more than Citigroup 

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Comments

 

Jobs is Apple, Although when and if something would happen to him, another person will evolve and take his place, Business has a way of discarding great people very fast when something happens to them in the line of FIRE.

THE MORT. (Posted 07.29.08 7:30 AM) Report Abuse

Unless it is a communicable disease, there should be no concern about a person's health.  Smart and committed staff support and guide CEOs, who in turn, receive the credit and bonuses for the company's success. There will many more Steves, after this one.

Petra (Posted 08.31.08 7:49 AM) Report Abuse

I know from personal experience how devastating a disease pancreatic cancer is.  My husband died three months after diagnosis - of adenocarcinoma - admittedly different from Steve Jobs' pancreatic cancer.  However, I'm sorry but I don't believe the "hormone imbalance."  Pancreatic cancer moves quickly toward the end.  I wish he'd be more cognizant of the fact that pancreatic cancer is the most deadly and underfunded cancer there is and be truthful about his disease.  Money and publicity are crucial to pancreatic cancer research.  Maybe Apple and/or Jobs could act on this.

Barbara Stephens (Posted 01.05.09 6:33 PM) Report Abuse

Get well soon.

Many people in the Public do not realize the fact that within the Civilian world, Leaders are very rare, and Managers (paper pushers, bean counters, lawyers) are the norm and many Civilians do not even know the difference.

Which would make it almost impossible to find and train a replacement.  Having experience as both US Military Officer and as a Apple Representative (built one of the first Apple Stores within a Store, Computer City, 1993, and later CompUSA, 1998.) this is very clear to me, that you are irreplaceable as a Leader (the norm in the US Military).  It is also clear the you do know that there are many "I"s in real Teams: Innovation, Ingenuity, Intelligence, Iniative, Involvement, Individuality, etc. unlike that non realistic example of a Sports Team that the most expensive player makes or breaks the Sports Team.

Some may see you and Steven Wozinak as creative driving force behind Apple Computers, you are, with your creative vision of the future of what Apple and Personal Computers must become.  I have seen this since the 1970s.

Again Get Well Soon, enjoy being with your family.

Sincerly,

David K. Nakamura

david (Posted 01.06.09 12:12 AM) Report Abuse

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