Bing Bong Hot Dog

In our lifetime we will have severe, life altering changes and events that will resinate forever in our minds.  For example, I know exactly where I was sitting when the spaceship Challenger blew up on January 28th, 1986.  I also remember what I had for breakfast the morning I watched the Twin Towers come to it’s demise at the hands of terrorists.

Today…January 14th, 2009…the announcement was made that Steve Jobs will be taking a medical leave of absence from his day-to-day duties as acting CEO of Apple.  This day will not be erased from my memory.

Most of you will probably point your fingers at me and say, “Shame on you; how dare you insinuate that this is the end of Steve Jobs!”.  Believe me when I tell you, that his presence will be greatly missed by myself and millions of others.  I may be of a wee bit younger generation than some of you, but I’m smart enough to see the writing on the wall.  Steve is 53 years old…not that’s he’s “old” but he’s starting to feel his weaknesses more strongly.  I do not want this to be the end of Steve Jobs’ career with Apple because I feel his innovation and knowledge would be a great travesty, but let’s not escape the cold heart reality of life…he’s rich beyond his dreams and quite honestly, he really doesn’t have to work anymore.  I mean seriously people, if it were me I would want to end at the top; throw in the towel; count my money on a beach while enjoying my family.  I don’t hate him for this, but let’s not be naive about the situation.

Below is the actual text from his letter: (compliments of The New York Times)

Team,

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.

I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.

Steve

**Post was edited thanks to Keene Stum.  I had placed the wrong date while I hastily attempted to get this published.  Thank you Keene for your tactful words.