It's the end of era for Apple.
Even though I knew that it was probably going to be coming sooner, rather than later, the resignation of Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple,Inc still felt very sudden.
Since January, he had been on an indefinite leave of absence, citing ongoing health issues. In spite of that, his decision to resign came as a surprise. His announcement sent shockwaves through the tech industry. So many people wanted to talk about it that the servers at MacWorld were strained and even Twitter was overcapacity for some time after his official announcement. Even the business world was taken off guard and following the announcement, Apple's stock prices dropped by almost 6%.
Like most people,I suspect that Jobs' ailing health has a great deal to do with his decision to step down as both CEO and as an employee of Apple,Inc. In his letter of resignation, addressed to the Apple board of directors and the Apple community, he strongly recommended giving the CEO job to Chief Operating Officer, Tim Cook.
After the announcement, Mr. Jobs was elected Chairman of the Board for Apple,Inc and Tim Cook was appointed as CEO.
Here is an excerpt from his letter of resignation:
"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."
He went on to say:
"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.
For years, Jobs has been struggling with health issues. In 2004, he publicly announced that he had been diagnosed with a rare type of pancreatic cancer, but that the disease had been successfully treated.
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."
In 2008, the iPhone launch showed a very thin Jobs. And in January of 2009 he took a medical leave of absence from the company.
During his six month medical leave, he underwent liver transplant surgery. He returned to the helm of the company, and was presumably on the road to recovery.
In January of 2011, Mr. Jobs took another medical leave of absence from the company, but was adamant about remaining CEO. Although he wasn't able to carry out his day-to-day duties, he still introduced new Apple products and negotiated deals.
Although there was no statement about how long the leave would last, many people suggested that it might be permanent. Speculation was rampant after the iPad 2 launch earlier this year. Job's unveiled the new product, wearing his trademark black turtleneck, jeans and a pair of New Balance shoes, but he looked emaciated and ill.
Steve Jobs is well known for his charisma, creativity and his passion for what he does. While he certainly has many fans, his critics often paint him as a reckless control freak.
In a way, both sides are probably right. He has always been the primary driving force behind Apple.
Steve Jobs has never been content to just be the symbolic figurehead of the company. From the beginning, he has been very involved in its daily operation. and passionate about what the future holds for Apple.
Because he has always been so determined to continue to run the company, in spite of his health problems, I find it difficult to believe that he would resign for any reason other than a serious decline in his health and prognosis. I hope that his decision wasn't an attempt to put his affairs in order.
His leadership will certainly be missed by Apple. The Wall Street Journal, when reporting the resignation, said it best:
"The announcement likely marks the end of one of the most extraordinary careers in U.S. business history. Mr. Jobs not only co-founded Apple—and the personal computer industry along with it—but decades later played a central role in reshaping the music, movie, animation, and mobile-phone
businesses."
Many people aren't aware that in addition to his work with Apple, he also served as CEO and majority stockholder of Pixar Animation Studios.
That is, right up until he sold the company to Disney for $7.5 million in stock. The deal made him Disney's largest individual stockholder and he was given a seat on their board of directors. He was so involved with Pixar's work that he was credited as an executive producer in the Pixar movie Toy Story.
Hopefully Mr. Jobs will be able to serve as Chairman of the board for many years to come and that he enjoys a well deserved vacation.
What do you think about Steve Jobs' resignation? Do you think that Apple will suffer as a company.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for TechCareersBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
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