Steve Jobs resigns as CEO of Apple

[Trippy]

He's been named Chairman. Tim Cook is CEO now.

Edit: his letter to the board:

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple''s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

I believe Apple''s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Steve

Contacts:

Apple
Katie Cotton, 408-974-7269
katiec@apple.com
or
Apple
Steve Dowling , 408-974-1896
dowling@apple.com

[Trippy]

Official announcements are up:

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Letter-from-Steve-Jobs.html

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/08/24Steve-Jobs-Resigns-as-CEO-of-Apple.html

[Chimpy]

Wasn't this pretty much how things have been run for the last few years though?

[Trippy]

When Steve's been on medical leave Tim has been acting CEO. It does sound like Steve will be even less involved than he is now.

[Ingmar]

I would think that this almost certainly means that he's received a bad prognosis. Our CEO made a similar transition (CEO->Chairman) after a cancer diagnosis and was dead in a year and a half; if he had been able to work there's no way he would have stepped down, similar workaholic nature.

[Khaldun]

I think this is pretty much, "I'm going to die pretty soon."

[Merusk]

Well, yeah, but that's been the prognosis since the cancer came back.

As Schild inferred on Facebook, it will be interesting to see what this does to the Apple cult in general.

[Lantyssa]

Attempts at canonization.

[Bzalthek]

Attempts at canonization.

I think they just trademarked iSaint.

[Surlyboi]

Well, yeah, but that's been the prognosis since the cancer came back.

As Schild inferred on Facebook, it will be interesting to see what this does to the Apple cult in general.

Business will continue as normal. The biggest fan base at Apple is still the one on the inside. We'll be fine. The stock will take a hit for a while as the hedges trip over themselves to short us and the analysts break out the "beleaguered Apple" tropes again.

[Merusk]

We?

You work there, Surly? How'd I miss that.

[Chimpy]

We?

You work there, Surly? How'd I miss that.

He is mega-rich and can afford to buy their products unlike us plebes, remember 

[Quinton]

If there's some real impact from Steve's departure, I don't think it'll be visible for a year or two (though I'm sure we'll see some short term doom-saying and perhaps stock market reaction).  I have plenty of issues with the man, but he has undeniably had an enormous impact on Apple and the industry and it's sad to see him step down (especially because everything I know about him says that he would not step down if he could possibly avoid doing so). 

Good luck to Apple and good luck to Steve.

[Surlyboi]

We?

You work there, Surly? How'd I miss that.

He is mega-rich and can afford to buy their products unlike us plebes, remember 

Not mega rich. Comfortable. And I just got my five-year plaque signed by Steve this past spring.

[Vaiti]

Relevant.

[Hawkbit]

Initially I thought this was really terrible timing for Apple, with iPhone 5 launching in roughly six weeks, but now I wonder if the timing is perfect.  Announce now, let stocks drop a bit, then stocks soar after launch of iPhone 5.  If the launch goes relatively well, stocks will likely stay solid as investors feel confident in Apple without Jobs. 

Which likely means Apple is pretty damn confident that iPhone 5 is a solid product.

[luckton]

I for one am glad to see him go.  Maybe now future 'i' products will be more competitive from the onset with current features and creature comforts that everybody else has/had.  So tired of hearing Steve say "Well, I don't think you need that feature, so you're not getting it.", then next year "OMG GUYS GUYS GUYS!  THIS NEW FEATURE IS SOOOOOOOOOOO INCREDIBLE!  I'M GLAD WE THOUGHT OF IT FIRST!"   

[Vaiti]

I like Hawkbits optimistic thinking style. No greentext. I just really like that thought process.

[KallDrexx]

Not much will change for the forseeable future in reality.  Tim Cook has been acting as CEO for 6+ months already, as Jobs took a leave of absence.

[Surlyboi]

[Sky]

Lion distro has been a clusterfuck, I hope it's not a sign of the new Apple.

[Yegolev]

I only have suffered through three CEO changes, but I usually find that any change of the head honcho brings a new paradigm, or at least a brand new Vision and Mission Statement.  Except if the CEO is routed for harassment and replaced by someone else who was just chased out of his prior corporation, then there's a lot of "We're still executing our awesome plan, nothing to see here, Wall Street".

[Hawkbit]

Corporate focus going forward to be printers.   

http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-apple-ceo-tim-cook-im-thinking-printers,21207/

[Quinton]

Corporate focus going forward to be printers.   

http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-apple-ceo-tim-cook-im-thinking-printers,21207/

So screwed!  HP has a head-start on printers with their acquisition of Palm.  (Some friends of mine over there joking referred to their team, which did kernel and drivers for Pre, as becoming the "print enablement team" during the acquisition.)

[Trippy]

[UnSub]

Apparently the publishers of Jobs' official biography have brought forward the book launch about 6 months to the end of this year. It suggests to me that Jobs' prognosis isn't good and he wants to see the book launched before he dies.

[Hawkbit]

Anyone have a 'catching fish' emoticon?

[Yegolev]

[Nebu]

So screwed!  HP has a head-start on printers with their acquisition of Palm.  (Some friends of mine over there joking referred to their team, which did kernel and drivers for Pre, as becoming the "print enablement team" during the acquisition.)

You are aware that the Onion is entirely satire, right?

[Sky]

Their headquarters is at the very bottom of the sarchasm.

[Quinton]

So screwed!  HP has a head-start on printers with their acquisition of Palm.  (Some friends of mine over there joking referred to their team, which did kernel and drivers for Pre, as becoming the "print enablement team" during the acquisition.)

You are aware that the Onion is entirely satire, right?

Maybe green text would have helped here.

[TripleDES]

I would think that this almost certainly means that he's received a bad prognosis. Our CEO made a similar transition (CEO->Chairman) after a cancer diagnosis and was dead in a year and a half; if he had been able to work there's no way he would have stepped down, similar workaholic nature.

Good call.

He's in a pretty bad state.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/08/26/steve-jobs-apple-photo-resignation-ceo-sick/

[Ingmar]

Ugh. Poor guy.

[luckton]

I would think that this almost certainly means that he's received a bad prognosis. Our CEO made a similar transition (CEO->Chairman) after a cancer diagnosis and was dead in a year and a half; if he had been able to work there's no way he would have stepped down, similar workaholic nature.

Good call.

He's in a pretty bad state.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/08/26/steve-jobs-apple-photo-resignation-ceo-sick/

Yes, because everything that TMZ puts out is legit, amirite?!

[01101010]

I would think that this almost certainly means that he's received a bad prognosis. Our CEO made a similar transition (CEO->Chairman) after a cancer diagnosis and was dead in a year and a half; if he had been able to work there's no way he would have stepped down, similar workaholic nature.

Good call.

He's in a pretty bad state.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/08/26/steve-jobs-apple-photo-resignation-ceo-sick/

Yes, because everything that TMZ puts out is legit, amirite?!

I was more appalled by the fact no one cared that he was wearing a dress... 

edit: quote fail...