“During the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.”
— Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a Wednesday email to employees, explaining that he’ll take a leave of absence until the end of June. The news arrives in the wake of his disclosure last week that his extreme weight loss was due to a “hormone imbalance.” And that follows another announcement three weeks earlier that Jobs would miss Macworld. Thus the swirling rumors that Jobs is more ill than he or Apple has let on.
For now at least, the company will be in the hands of COO Tim Cook, the subject of a recent Fortune cover story that speculated who might succeed Jobs. Investors, of course, are worried. Apple stock dropped 6% in after-hours trading to $80. — Jessica Shambora