Jobs: Still the CEO

New York, Jan. 5: Reluctantly trying to put to rest persistent speculation about his health, the chief executive of Apple, Steven P. Jobs, disclosed in a public letter today that he was recovering from a hormone imbalance that has contributed to his continuing weight loss.

Jobs lamented that his decision not to give his annual Macworld keynote “set off another flurry of rumours about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed”.

But contrary to reports that he was suffering from a relapse of cancer, after recovering from the pancreatic form of the disease four years ago, Jobs said that doctors had recently diagnosed his visible weight loss as the result of a hormone imbalance that was depleting proteins in his body.

Blood tests had confirmed the diagnosis and that “the remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment”, Jobs wrote.

Jobs said that he would continue to serve as Apple’s chief executive and that “I will be the first one to step up and tell our board of directors if I can no longer continue to fulfil my duties as Apple’s CEO I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first”.

Shareholders reacted positively, bidding up Apple shares more than 3 per cent, to $93.82. Shareholders had dropped the stock last week when the popular gadget blog Gizmodo reported that Jobs’s condition had deteriorated.

Apple announced last month that Phil Schiller, the company’s senior vice-president for worldwide marketing, will deliver the keynote speech at Macworld, usually a high-profile platform for Jobs to announce new products.

In a separate statement, the board of Apple said that Jobs deserved the company’s support during his recuperation. “He most certainly has that from Apple and its board,” the statement said.

But today’s announcement isn’t likely to end the speculation, unless Apple offers more details on Jobs’s condition, AmTech Research analyst Brian Marshall said.