Jobs returns to work at Apple
He’s back.
Steve Jobs returned to work Monday at Apple Inc.’s Cupertino, Calif., campus, company spokesman Steve Dowling said.
Jobs took a medical leave of absence in January, saying he would return to the computer maker at the end of June.
“He’s at Apple a few days a week and working from home the rest of the week,” Dowling said. “We are very glad to have him back.”
Neither Jobs nor Apple revealed the nature of the chief executive’s illness while he was gone. Recently it was reported that Jobs, 54, underwent a liver transplant at a Memphis hospital. He was described by his physician as “the sickest patient” on the list of transplant candidates there at the time.
The disclosure startled Apple observers and led some securities experts to question whether the company withheld information that would have been material to investors.
Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, is known for his relentless attention to detail and is seen by some as the driving force behind the company’s products.
He was pushed out in 1985 but returned 12 years later, and since then has built an organization that thinks much the way he does. That, analysts said, has led to minimal operational disruptions -- even while he was away.
“I think the executives know who runs the ship,” said Danielle Levitas, an analyst at research firm IDC. “I don’t expect his return to be problematic.
“The bigger strategic issue for Apple is how to get all those senior executives who have taken on more responsibility to continue to stay in the spotlight as much as possible, because there are lingering concerns about his health,” she said. “Investors need to see a team in place that is capable of creating amazing products.”
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