Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs announced on Wednesday that he is no longer fit to serve as the company’s chief executive officer, officially resigning from the position, which has been be filled by Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook.

The announcement came Wednesday evening in a press release directed at the Apple Board of Directors, as well as the company’s community. Jobs said he would like to stay on as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee, a wish that was granted by the board.

This is the letter below:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

Steve Jobs is worth $6.1 Billion

Steve Jobs is ranked as 42nd richest American by the latest Forbes annual 400 list.

In January he unveiled Apple’s iPad tablet amid a media frenzy; the device has so far beaten the hype with more than 3 million sold since April. In May Apple’s market cap overtook Microsoft’s to become the most valuable tech company in the world. Despite a super-publicized antenna problem, Apple’s latest iPhone sold 1.7 million units 3 days after launch. Majority of fortune comes from Disney; as largest shareholder owns about $4.4 billion of stock. Reed College dropout founded Apple 1976.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates remains at the top of the list for the 17th consecutive year with a net worth of $54 billion, up $4 billion from last year but still below his recent high of $59 billion in 2007. The report also notes that Gates has poured $28 billion into charity, primarily through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Steve Jobs has been asked to keynote CES 2010 in January

He has been asked to keynote next year’s Consumer Electronics Show, which Apple is expected to attend.  No further details are known at this time.

Apple Confirms: Steve Jobs Back at Work

Bloomberg has received confirmation from Apple that Steve Jobs has returned to work at Apple following his liver transplant, currently working part-time at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino and part-time from home. Jobs reportedly returned to work last Monday.

Steve Jobs is back at work at Apple Inc., returning to his job as chief executive officer as planned after taking medical leave in January.

“Steve is back to work,” Steve Dowling, an Apple spokesman, said today. Jobs is at Apple a few days a week and working at home the remaining days, he said. “We are very glad to have him back,” Dowling said.

Update on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at 1:58PM by Jon Arnason

Steve Jobs is doing fine medically, operating much the way he did before his recent liver problems took hold, say Bloomberg sources said to be “close” to the Apple CEO. The major issue is believed to be weight, as Jobs remains unusually thin, to the extent that he allegedly discusses the problem with acquaintances. One former Apple executive observes though that Jobs has actually intensified work since returning. Three other Apple workers comment that he has been seen around the Cupertino campus more often, for instance taking meals in the cafeteria.


Steve Jobs Had a Liver Transplant Two Months Ago

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple CEO Steve Jobs received a liver transplant about two months ago to treat some ongoing complications from his previous pancreatic cancer:

Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple Inc. since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, received a liver transplant in Tennessee about two months ago. The chief executive has been recovering well and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, though he may work part-time initially.

The exact source for the information is not provided, though The Wall Street Journal is reporting it as fact and not rumor. They also state that he is recovering well and is expected to return to Apple at the end of June, though may initially return on a part-time basis.

Steve Jobs active at Apple, still working on tablet-sized device

Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs is still very much involved in his company’s direction even as he recuperates at home — and is said to be on track with a new portable device larger than the company’s handhelds.

Those reportedly aware of Jobs’ position have told the Wall Street Journal that, as promised, he’s regularly overseeing projects and has guided some of its most recently publicized work.

In particular, Jobs is understood to have been instrumental in shaping the interface of iPhone OS 3.0, which adds copy-and-paste text as well as device-wide search.

More importantly, the executive is still believed invested in long-term strategy. While new iPhones are to be expected, the newspaper also understands that Apple is as focused as ever on producing a portable device that sits in between the small, pocketable designs of the iPhone and iPod touch but not as large as existing MacBooks.

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