Apple's Jobs Takes Leave For Health Reasons

January 14, 2009: Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking a health-related leave of absence until the end of June. He said in an e-mail to Apple staff that his health-related issues are "more complex than I originally thought." COO Tim Cook will be responsible for day-to-day operations until Jobs' return.

Jobs is a cancer survivor, and his recent very visible weight loss has led to much public speculation about his health. He earlier said he has a "hormone imbalance" and expected to be able to regain the weight. In the e-mail, Jobs said, "Unfortunately, the curiosity about my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well."

After-hours trading in AAPL was halted temporarily with the stock at $85.33; after trading resumed, shares were down 6.4 percent, to $78.90, Wednesday afternoon.