Not Only Was Steve Jobs Sick. He Had A Liver Transplant.

19
Jun

Not Only Was Steve Jobs Sick. He Had A Liver Transplant.

author: editor category: TechCrunch

There really isn’t much to say here beyond what are being reported as the facts. Apparently, Steve Jobs had a liver transplant two months ago, the Wall Street Journal reports tonight. When you read that, it’s pretty shocking — but not that surprising.

After Apple initially tried to pass off Jobs’ gaunt physique as a minor ailment, Jobs himself came out in January and announced that the undisclosed illness he was suffering from would require him to take a leave of absense from the company. He has been on that leave ever since. But the good news in the WSJ report is that Jobs is in fact feeling well enough now to return to work as scheduled at the end of this month — which is just days away.

But here’s an interesting nugget from the story:

When he does return, Mr. Jobs may be encouraged by his physicians to initially “work part-time for a month or two,” a person familiar with the thinking at Apple said. That may lead Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, to take “a more encompassing role,” this person said. The person added that Mr. Cook may be appointed to Apple’s board in the not-too-distant future.

That seems to suggest that the transition is well underway for Cook to eventually take control of Apple. That shouldn’t be a surprise, Cook has done a masterful job in Jobs’ absence, pretty much doubling the value of the company’s stock during that time. Jobs has long been thought to be perhaps more important to his company than any single figure is to their’s. But his time away has seemingly proven otherwise. Of course, there was already likely a multi-year timeline for products when Jobs left.

In 2004, it was disclosed that Jobs had suffered from pancreatic cancer, which was cured. But, that cancer is likely the thing that lead to this kidney transplant, many doctor’s familiar with such matter have stated.

While little is known about the actual operation, the belief is that it was done in Tennessee, because first and foremost, the waiting list of a kidney there is much lower than the rest of the country.

It’s good to hear that Jobs has apparently recovered well from the very serious procedure, and we look forward to him returning to work, when he’s ready.

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