“I said at the time that I knew I was being spun by Mr. Jobs. But I didn’t think I was being lied to. Now, I’m not sure what to think. It is certainly possible that he had the condition he described to me last summer. It is also possible that he did, in fact, have “a hormone imbalance,” as he announced last week, as rumors swirled again about his health. And it is even possible that a few days later he discovered that his problems were ‘more complex’ — whatever that means — and that he only just realized that he needs to take a medical leave. It is possible, in other words, that he and Apple are telling the truth,” Nocera writes.
“Possible — but unlikely. Apple’s stock was hammered in after-hours trading on Thursday because, to be blunt, investors simply don’t believe Mr. Jobs. Charlie Wolf, the Apple analyst at Needham & Company, wrote a note to clients, describing Mr. Jobs’ e-mail to employees, in which he said he was taking a temporary medical leave, as ‘a can of worms.’ He added: ‘The fact that Mr. Jobs did not resign nor did the board call for his resignation suggests that he may well be telling the truth.’ The clear implication of that sentence is that most people (including, perhaps, Mr. Wolf himself) think Mr. Jobs is not telling the truth,” Nocera writes.
Nocera writes, “The most indispensable chief executive in the United States, beloved by customers and investors for his magnificent turnaround of the company he founded — and for the amazing gadgets his company produces — can no longer be trusted on the subject of whether he is healthy enough to continue running the company. “
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If Steve Jobs can no longer be trusted, he ought to write for The New York Times.
Sigh! I don’t foresee this blowing away any time soon…
Two articles from the NYT on the same person, on the same day? Must be a record for the NYT.
It will haunt us all until Steve keels over dead, at which point pundits will be disappointed he doesn’t give the keynote via Skype.
wow…this NY Times reporter sounds like a bitter two year old.
MDN is it really necessary to publish all this crap?
Several parts of what he says make no sense at all. Like this part:
“He added: ‘The fact that Mr. Jobs did not resign nor did the board call for his resignation suggests that he may well be telling the truth.’ The clear implication of that sentence is that most people (including, perhaps, Mr. Wolf himself) think Mr. Jobs is not telling the truth,” Nocera writes.”
That’s really poor reasoning and kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The guy says Steve’s probably telling the truth so that “really” means that he thinks Steve is lying? with reasoning like that you can prove anything.
It’s the NEW YORK TIMES!!!
It is a filthy disgusting asswipe rag of lies on a good day! Why does anyone care what anyone who works for the NY TIMES thinks?
They have the nerve to discuss anyone’s trustworthiness?
Every single day I become more and more disgusted with the news media.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
This is dead on.
Again, we all wish Steve the very best. But I doubt anyone will trust updates on his health. Which leads to uncertainty, which leads to mistrust, which leads to … uh … economic calamity …
Steve will become the new Elvis. Is he really dead? My future grandkids are gonna say he was just spotted using iPhone version 12 at a mini-mart in Alabama. CNN will immediately helicopter their reporters in from Atlanta to cover the top story.
Meanwhile, Steve Ballmer drops dead from a massive jelly doughnut cholesterol heart attack on his private Boeing 777 while playing Flying Chairs on his prototype upcoming XBox 12…and it gets the 3am Sunday morning cover story when noone is watching. Meanwhile, Oprah dies in an avalanche by simply tripping and rolling at the top of the ski mountain in Steamboat Springs. Ceremony by her grandkids at Bill Gates Technology University of Innovation in Redmond.
Steve Jobs’s health is NOT our business. He’s not the President of the United States for crying out loud. He’s not an elected official. He’s a private citizen.
If Apple’s supply chain for Macs or iPhones were suddenly in jeopardy, that would be the business of the share holders.
The media, in particular THE NEW YORK TIMES, is sickening. They’re like a pack of rabid dogs searching for an injured cat to rip apart.
No, Jobs is not a private citizen widdling away in his basement with the latest iPod. He is out there as the face of the company, and everyone has benefited.
Therefore, don’t be shocked when people question if “the face” is gaunt, and especially don’t lie and tell everyone that the “face” is perfectly healthy (like they did last year) when it’s not (which is obvious). Disclosure is not up to Steve Jobs. If he wants to live in total privacy, he needs to resign as the face of Apple.
@theloniousMac
Don’t shoot the messenger.
could not be put any better ‘theloniousMac’
Nocera is a dick weed, butt munch, hit whore.
Get well soon Steve.
@NewYorkRules
Oh if only we had simple messengers, respectable journalists who simply reported the facts rather than seeking to garner eyeballs and fame by coloring every single morsel of bad data they get and firing it out of their sensationalization cannons.
Concerning his health, the facts are what Steve says, nothing more as far as anyone outside his immediate family should be concerned. If Jobs says he has a cold, that’s it. All the pontificating, screaming, banging out opinions, etc. is completely uncalled for and at the very best, irresponsible.
If someone lights a cigarette in a crowded theater, CBS, ABC, CNBC, MSNBC, The New York Times, The LA Times, the whole lot of’em will line up to scream fire, then write editorials on the sorry condition of humanity because people panicked running out.
So what Mr. Job’s face is gaunt. It’s not your business.
People should wish him a speedy recovery and move on. The rest of this noise is completely unwarranted.
The main question is why would Jobs lie. It is his right to keep his medical information private. But why would he make statements reluctantly only to be discovered they were untrue?
Haven’t you ever heard of people who were misdiagnosed, sometimes several times or when doctors can’t find for sure if you are suffering from one ailment or the other? Watch an episode of “House”.
Isn’t Steve Jobs at any capacity better than no Steve Jobs at all?
New York Times can no longer be trusted regarding the news.
Buy a clue. It is perfectly appropriate to bash that dishrag the NYTimes for its illogical and misleading “reporting.” When the “messenger” is a lying a**hole, shooting him is the least you should do.
Why would Steve have changed his tune so radically in just one week unless he’s telling the truth, he learned something new. Further, there are NO facts suggesting the opposite. The burden of proof is on those claiming he is “lying.”
Jake
Allright, that’s it.
Everybody, lets start just shooting these assholes.
The New York Times is an outdated, horse and carriage “news” outlet. Just as CNN, CNBC, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, and all other print and TV “news” outlets are. They are nothing more than entertainment outlets for lazy, fatass losers sucking off the public teat. I think the most pathetic thing about these so-called “news” outlets is that everyone buys into the doom and gloom without taking steps to help improve things. “The economy is bad, everyone is laying off, there are no jobs out there, no one is spending money, blah blah blah BLAH BLAH BLAH!”
I don’t buy it, and never will. Turn that shit off and make your own happiness.
“I said at the time that I knew I was being spun by Mr. Jobs. But I didn’t think I was being lied to.”
OMG! The deceit! The betrayal!
The irony. How many lives do you think hacks like Nocera and the Times have ruined by spinning context? I can only hope there comes a day where he’ll learn first-hand how a misreported fact can fsck somebody over.
These bottom-feeders deserve nothing less.
The undeniable truth is that in two years’ time the New York Times will be no more. Dead. Defunct. Out of business. A memory.
On the other hand, Apple, Inc. will still be doing just fine.
@theloniousMac
…sensationalization… bold choice indeed, well struck.
The New York Times can still afford to hire writers?
I think Apple is on the right track here. If Steve Jobs is really ill or not……… let him take “medical leave” and step out of the picture.
2-3 days of news BS and then it dies down cause Steve Jobs is no longer center stage. HMMMMM Just a thought. This is posted only a week before the financial reporting for the quarter. Could it be a coincidence….. or just great timing.
If the stock market starts treating Apple on its pure numbers and not Steve Jobs saint or dead issues, maybe the investors will suddenly start seeing where Apple is going.
Now,,, its not April 1 yet….. but…… could this be a Steve Jobs special effect after all……
Just a thought.
en
Trust? What a bunch of bullshit. Is Jobs a doctor? Are we so far in understanding the human body that it never surprises us? Take everything from Jobs and Co at face value and what you have is a situation that is evolving. That’s it, that’s all. The need to turn everything into a vieled conspiracy is a problem with the media. Not with the way Jobs has handled this. And to those that imagine be could be handled better: how? By having Jobs get poked and prodded by media wags? By spilling his medical history and personal life like some tabloid whore? Get real.
If i were Steve i’d take a long leave of absence as well after all the media and journalist meddling. They have no rights concerning private matters especially when they have no facts to back up what they spew.
I cant even begin to write what i fell about the jackass journalists looking for a brief moment of fame and popularity in the sun by any means necessary, since they cant do it in an honest, fact backed, legitimate way.
NYT…..dropped to a new low in reporting. Too bad there isn’t a way to sue them. Get them where it hurts; in the news and the wallet
You certainly can sue them. For lies. Go for it.
GET WELL STEVE!
Best MDN take for months.
Well thank God the NYT has found a new villain since they favorite punching bag, President Bush, will not be available for kicking after Tuesday.
Perhaps the Gray Lady will punch up circulation with hit pieces on Steve Jobs now. Nah…since their bonds are already at Junk status and they are borrowing against their building, I think it won’t be too much longer until the NYT goes the way of the buggy whip…good riddance.
How about some stories on Maddow, or Chris “sweet loan from Country Wide” Dodd, or Barney “Just ’cause I’m the chairman it’s not my fault” Frank.
Those guys ARE incompetent villians.
Steve Jobs is a highly competent CEO with a wife and kids and doesn’t need to air all his health issues to everyone. Buy the stock assuming he’s there or not. Sell the stock assuming he’s there or not.
Sheesh people…there’s uncertainty in any investment…grow a pair.
Federal law does not require corporate leaders to tell the world they’re gravely ill
“Steve Jobs, however, could be different.”
Kinda like what George Bush?
It is obvious to the most casual observer that Apple has conspired to conceal Jobs’ health problems and misrepresent the severity of Jobs’ illness.
“Those guys ARE incompetent villians.”
That describes G.W. to a fault.
Sorry, it had to be said. Yes, I know, NYT- liberal- bla bla bla.
Any rational, thinking person is not having a problem with this. Investors’ reactions have nothing to do with intelligent thought. Think Lemmings off the cliff.
When Steve Jobs demoed the iPhone at MacWorld in January 2007, the first web page he brought up in Safari was the New York Times, not Apple’s own homepage. He then proceeded to show off the iPhone’s web browsing features on the NYT web site.
Seems to me that a failing newspaper ought not bite the hand that feeds it. Either way, the days of Apple giving away so much free publicity are over – at least for the NYT. Nice job, Nocera.
Steve Jobs is on medical leave. How do we capitalize on that? After all, that’s the American way. Let’s write a series of inflamatory articles. It doesn’t matter if it’s all speculation and spin with no truth or proof. Most Americans will just believe what we print. You ever notice that the blogs down below articles are often more informative and accurate than the article itself. Here’s hoping that the economy takes most of these low life “news” organizations out. They’ve all become a bunch of gossip rags that we’d be better off without anyway.
“Oh if only we had simple messengers, respectable journalists who simply reported the facts rather than seeking to garner eyeballs and fame by coloring every single morsel of bad data they get and firing it out of their sensationalization cannons.”
But we have them:
http://www.apple.com/pr/
macdailynews.com
http://www.korea-dpr.com
Next Apple will start putting out the rumors that Jobs has not actually been on the job for nearly a year, been on sick leave only showed up when he had to…and Apple has been doing great!
The guy’s an ass. And, it goes without saying he not a writer, and he certainly has no class.
But, what else would one expect from the NY Times?
Mmmm who to believe… NYT or SJ.. Only a fool would believe the former.
That goes for Dan Lyons too.
The only thing more predictable than Apple secrecy and obfuscation is Apple fanboi ignorance and naiveté.
HERE’S THE REAL QUESTION:
Why hasn’t a raft of stories been written about the potential heart attack we see in Steve Ballmer? He hasn’t done the Monkey Dance in years now. Is he in ill health? Is his obesity likely to impact his life soon? Don’t shareholders have a right to know?
I want answers!
Only IDIOTS read the NYSlimes!…. serious only idiots.
Damn. I don´t have any extra €uros to buy more AAPL. The xMas with the MacBook Pro was the only possible investment to The Apple, Inc.
“The New York Times is an outdated, horse and carriage “news” outlet. Just as CNN, CNBC, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, and all other print and TV “news” outlets are.”
Are there ANY reliable, trustworthy and unbiased major news source that I can follow (on the web, ‘cos I’m not fm the US)? Seriously. Anyone?
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This is the most overblown story in the history of business, to the point that it even made yesterday’s lunchtime news in the UK before a news item on the economy.
How many CEOs (whether private or public) take medical leaves of absence every year? And we don’t hear anything and nobody issues any lawsuits.
But because SPJ is the public face of Apple and the company makes a mildly successful piece of consumer electronics, it’s getting treated like a Papal election.
In any case, comments about trust from a journalist? Really? What next? Lectures on sexual abstinence from Warren Beatty?
@ MCCFR
ROFL!! Thanks for making my day!
Get well soon Steve!
The N. Y Times can’t be trusted!