The New York Times
July 23, 2008
Talk of Chief’s Health Weighs on Apple’s Share Price
By JOHN MARKOFF
PALO ALTO, Calif. — Rumors of Steven P. Jobs’s ill health have been greatly exaggerated.
That is what Mr. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, has been telling a number of his associates, even as concerns about his health have weighed on the company’s stock price.
The latest flurry of talk was set off on Monday when, in a conference call after the release of Apple’s earnings, a company executive responded to a question about Mr. Jobs’s condition by saying that it was “a private matter.” But in recent weeks, Mr. Jobs has reassured several people that he is doing well and that four years after a successful operation to treat a rare form of pancreatic cancer, he is cancer free.
People who are close to Mr. Jobs say that he had a surgical procedure this year to address a problem that was contributing to a loss of weight. These people declined to be identified because Mr. Jobs had not authorized them to speak about his health.
On stage to unveil the iPhone 3G last month, Mr. Jobs’s gaunt appearance led to speculation that his cancer had returned. An Apple spokesman has said that in the weeks before the event Mr. Jobs picked up a “common bug” and was taking a course of antibiotics. An Apple spokeswoman declined further comment on Tuesday.
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Mr. Jobs has told several associates, as well as some members of Apple’s board, that he is dealing with nutritional problems in the wake of his cancer surgery. Medical descriptions of the surgery state that in some cases it leads to weight loss and low energy.
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