Comments on: Steve Wozniak: Leave Steve Jobs Alone

By: lucas

lucas — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:21:42 +0000

well that is not true. he is not in perfect health. but the point is this. Apple is about the products, or at least it should be. and even if the leader has an effect on that, the media doesn’t have the right to put out false statements and start up rumors. those rumors may be partially to blame for the drop in Apple stock over the past several months. Not that Steve might be sick but that the media started up rumors that he is, that he’s dying, that Apple can’t run without him, etc.

By: lucas

lucas — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:18:55 +0000

actually that isn’t true. there is nothing in the laws or the CEO handbook that says you lose all right to privacy when you become a CEO. What Jobs needs to do is turn it around and start suing folks for slander/libel and having the SEC investigate the demand all these rumors may have caused on the Apple stock price. Then folks will stop with the BS like Bloomberg’s getting the ‘expert’ opinion of some doctor that has probably never met Jobs and admits he hasn’t treated Jobs.

as for the frenzy, what Apple needs right now is for the Tim Cook captained Apple to release something big. Something that puts the focus on the products and not on the Media’s Rock God. Remind folks that Apple ain’t Jobs and he’s not the only brain at the company.

Imagine it. New Imacs, updated minis and pro towers, announcing a 20 and 30 inch LED display, a new home server for use as a backup drive or media server (think a marriage of the time capsule and apple tv with perhaps wireless connectors to stream the media to stereos and tvs a la ‘airtunes’). Put out all that in an event, say the end of February and the media will be tripping over themselves to talk about it that they won’t have time to think, much less publish anything, about Jobs.

By: Hiram Walker

Hiram Walker — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:57:19 +0000

Even if Steve was in perfect health, as a free man he can leave the company at any time. He might just want to quit to go fishing, or go traveling. Do you think Steve’s feelings on what he might want to do with his life are your business too? Just because Steve’s health might affect your decisions doesn’t give you the right to know. Mortality and personal whims of the help are just risk factors you have to accept.

By: Aviv

Aviv — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:15:19 +0000

@Alfred: You’re right about most of what you say… For example — “If I have my money in Apple and the leader is terminally ill, I want to know so I can pull my money out.” With this quote you’re absolutely right… BUT! It’s important to remember that if you owned Apple shares based solely on Jobs’ ability to run the company, then you may have owned them for the wrong reasons to begin with.

By: ALFRED NEWMAN

ALFRED NEWMAN — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:03:44 +0000

Matthew is right.

Public scrutiny??? What do you expect? Apple (a public company!) has survived only by his “cult of personality”. And now you’re saying it’s none of the shareholders business whether the personality can continue to “rule” the company? It’s absurd to think he has privacy after he has made himself such a public celebrity. No CEO of any company the size of Apple has privacy.

He has gone on leave of absence but says he’ll still be making the big decisions. If I have my money in Apple and the leader is terminally ill, I want to know so I can pull my money out. I will pray for Steve to get better since that’s the only influence I can have on his life but I also have to look out for me and my family’s interests.

By: Aviv

Aviv — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:16:04 +0000

That’s a great point. I think you’re absolutely right. But, you have to remember there’s a thing called class and having tact.

The media is using every angle possible to dissect this story as much as possible. And that’s what truly disgusting about what comes from all of this.

Jobs’ health is #1 right now, and should 100% stay that way. He needs to get healthy, and he’s a person before he’s a CEO. Apple can take a back seat, and the media doesn’t need to DEMAND anything from Jobs, especially not medical records.

By: Matthew Maurice

Matthew Maurice — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:12:29 +0000

If Steve wants to be “left alone” and have the press stop obsessing about his health, then he has done the right thing-take a leave of absence. The fact is that you don’t get to be CEO and expect that people won’t care about your health. You can either be head of Apple or you can have privacy, but you don’t get both.