“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