Katie MarsalIn a rare discussion of his personal health, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs has privately revealed to a journalist exactly what conditions led to his overly thin appearance at the Worldwide Developer Conference this year.
The company luminary insists that the precise details be kept off the record, but according to Nocera has virtually confirmed earlier reporting by the Times' John Markoff that claims Jobs had new surgery earlier this year to address a nutritional problem causing weight loss.
The particular issue is a "good deal more" substantial than the "common bug" Apple spokespeople have used as their most detailed explanation, but is described as far less disastrous than perceived by some shareholders, who triggered a stock sell-off this past week.
The circumstances "weren’t life-threatening and [Jobs] doesn’t have a recurrence of cancer," Nocera says.
Nonetheless, the journalist also questions why it requires a direct yet unspecific intervention from Jobs to settle concerns rather than more official channels. Reiterating the claims both of Markoff and of analysts, Nocera maintains that companies have a responsibility to disclose key executives' illnesses when they will clearly influence the day-to-day operations of the company, even if they believe health is normally something to be kept from the public.
This is seen as especially crucial for an electronics maker like Apple. As much of the company's success in recent years has been attributed to Jobs' direct management of many facets of the business, a sudden resignation or worse would be immediately damaging to share value, even if the company reveals a succession plan.
For Nocera, the notion that Jobs would rather settle a score with a journalist (one who was initially labeled a "slime bucket" making factual errors) than make an official statement to defend his company is baffling. If anything, the writer believes, one would expect Jobs to do what it took to have shareholders hold on to their investments in the company.
"You would think he’d want them to know before me," Nocera says. "But apparently not."
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78 Comments
Nocera is a slime bucket though. You can read his sliminess between every line he wrote.
He makes out like it's a big mystery why Jobs doesn't want to broadcast the details of his illness to the world and implies that it's irresponsible, when the explanation is much simpler than that. The surgeries in question involve hugely embarrassing questions. It's tantamount to talking about ass surgery.
How many men want to talk about prostate exams and the exact consistency of their stool relative to their diet, or detail the inner workings of their digestive systems? How about talking about it on the evening news or in the newspaper? It's hardly rocket science why Jobs doesn't want to get into the nitty-gritty details of this.
Also, how many top execs of Fortune 500 companies have had similar surgeries or digestive complaints? Probably a large proportion given that the majority of them are males in their 40's, 50's and 60's.
If it's not cancer, and it's not life threatening, then Jobs is right in saying it's basically none of anyone's business but his own IMO.
I don't think it's baffling that it's a personal phone call instead of a press release. If Apple regards Steve's health as a personal matter (which they have repeatedly said) then any reports about it would *have* to come from him.
I hope for Noceras' sake he verified the source. And if fabricated at least had the presence of mind to have a friend call his phone. A call then would be documented on the date and time he said the conversation occurred just in case a court would like to see that information. If SJ had called me I would have just sit on it just because it is an area that is private personal information. Also if one thing that is reported is incorrect or misunderstood and reported, that could spell big problems for the one doing the reporting. So let's say one of this guys "friends" called from California as a joke and it got reported, both or at least one is bang in trouble.
Sure, it was "a good deal more" substantial than a "common bug." Otherwise Nocera would have to declare that he had actually been wrong. Jobs had corrective surgery earlier in the year, in order to stem his weight loss. Nocera is implicitly focusing on that surgery in order to maintain his ego.
However, most likely it was a common bug that created the tipping point, that made Jobs look particularly gaunt and almost caused him to bow out of appearing at WWDC.
I've heard he is. Anyone have any real facts on that? I hope not. The vegan lifestyle is unnatural. Sorry, that's my opinion. You cannot get the nutritional needs necessary for our bodies from that lifestyle.