Steve Jobs On Medical Leave, But Still At The Helm - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Steve Jobs On Medical Leave, But Still At The Helm

by

f1307384560
Steve Jobs has been on medical leave for more than six months and in that time Apple's stock price has risen more than 20 percent. Since he's been gone, according to the San Jose Mercury News, Steve Jobs has relaxed and focused on the big picture -- rather than micromanaging every tiny detail:

"They tell me he calls in regularly. He talks to Tim, he talks to the top guys, he talks about the Apple stores," [analyst Tim Bajarin with Creative Strategies] said. "But while he used to micromanage everything in ways that most CEOs would not, right down to issues with the company cafeteria, the big change with his latest leave is that there's less micromanagement and more management of his executive team and the big-picture issues."

Corporate CEOs are traditionally concerned with big-picture issues. Jobs, though, is famous for being a micromanager: insisting on overseeing even the smallest of details. His detail-oriented focus has seen him actively participate in a number of projects at Apple, efforts that have even resulted in his name appearing on dozens of Apple patent applications.

Since Steve Jobs has been on medical leave, he's leaving more of the day-to-day work to Tim Cook and Apple's hand-picked upper-management team. If Apple's growing stock price is any suggestion, shareholders think having Jobs focus on the big picture is just fine.

Top Rated Comments

197 months ago
Even though I know you hate my smartphone platform of choice, I still love you, Steve.
Are you rocking the ESPN phone? :D
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
197 months ago
"Let the fools have their Tar-Tar Sauce."
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
197 months ago
It'll be interesting to see how they pass off the role of CEO to (probably) Tim Cook. They have to do it just right or the stock could tank, not that it would do any permanent damage or anything.

Tim Cook is an operations guy, not a visionary leader. A better choice would be Steve Jobs apprentice Scott Forstall but he's not ready yet.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aknabi Avatar
197 months ago
wish the best for steve jobs.i love him really , if Tim cook become the CEO i won't be happy , i want Steve jobs to be the CEO for ever

and ever and ever... hi I am like 13 years old and put hello kitty stickers on my iPhone... and wait every night for Steve Jobs to call me on it
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ouimetnick Avatar
197 months ago
I wish Steve the best. I hope he recovers more, so he can be CEO again. But then again, I hardly think about it, as he still does the Keynotes.

Get well Steve.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
res1233 Avatar
197 months ago
I'm curious why you think Apple isn't after more quantity.

I'm sure they'd like quantity, but not while sacrificing quality. If Apple truly cared about selling in massive numbers, they probably wouldn't be making computers out of solid blocks of aluminum, and would stick to plastic boxes like everyone else.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple iCloud Plus expansion hero

iCloud+ Now Includes Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Curated Apple Music Stations in Over 100 Countries

Tuesday September 15, 2026 1:43 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new subscription initiative that turns paid iCloud+ subscriptions into a broader services bundle in more than 100 countries. In select countries, Apple says every paid iCloud+ plan, including the cheapest 50GB tier, now includes Apple TV and Apple Arcade "at no additional cost," while family sharing extends the storage, TV and Arcade access to up to five people....
Everything New Your iPhone Can Do on iOS 27 Feature 1

50 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27 - Out Now!

Monday September 14, 2026 10:48 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 27 this week, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system and nixing bugs, there are still many additional features to explore, not least of which is Apple's new context-aware Siri, re-tooled for the generative AI era. Which iPhones Support Every iOS 27 Feature? This year's major iPhone software update isn't all about AI, though,...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...