Than TibbettsWhen was the last time you had to issue a press release when you took a sick day?
I thought so. You’re probably not Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Jobs issued a press release this morning to dispel rumors that his health was floating somewhere between ‘gravely ill’ and ‘perilously close’ to death after the company announced he wouldn’t appear at the Apple-themed consumer products trade show known as Macworld.
“As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.
Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause — a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.”
No CEO’s health is more tied to his or her company’s stock price than Jobs, who suffered from pancreatic cancer in 2003.
After this report was published on the technology blog Gizmodo Apple shares dove nearly 4 percent, erasing about $3 billion of the company’s book value.
Jobs, for his part, doesn’t seem to be enjoying the extra attention…
“So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.”
And for the record, this bit of “good news” has Apple stock up almost 4 percent in early trading.
