Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs sent an email to the computer maker's employees Monday to say that he is taking a medical leave of absence but will remain CEO and stay involved in the company's major strategic decisions.

Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook will be responsible for the company's day-to-day operations, Mr. Jobs wrote in his email.

The leave marks the second time in recent years that Mr. Jobs has been forced to step back from his role at Apple. He took medical leave in the first half of 2009, returning to the company in late June of that year. Mr. Jobs, a survivor of pancreatic cancer, received a liver transplant while on leave.

Mr. Jobs's health is key to Apple. He co-founded Apple in 1976, was dismissed in a boardroom coup in 1985 and began a second leadership stint at Apple in 1997. He is deeply involved in all aspects of the company's business and is widely credited for reviving the then-struggling computer maker in the late 1990s with hit products such as the iMac desktop computer. More recently, Apple has churned out the iPod digital music player, the iPhone and the iPad tablet, cementing a place as a leading consumer-electronics maker.

Mr. Cook is a longtime lieutenant. He joined Apple in 1998 after stints at Compaq Computer Corp. and other companies. During Mr. Jobs's 2009 leave, Mr. Cook emerged as one of the most visible stars on Apple's bench and won praise for his ability to make Apple's sprawling operations move on time.

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved