Any post relating to the health of Apple CEO Steve Jobs has to start with two obligatory statements, he is a business genius, and I wish him a speedy recovery.
Now, with that out of the way, my focus will return to Apple’s long-standing, troubling and somewhat distant relationship with the truth.
Last night’s disclosure from Steve Jobs should not come as a surprise. Jobs and Apple have a long history of misleading the public.
Apple, the company that touts its care and committment to the environment, the comapny that has planet saver Al Gore on its board. Problem is, environmental groups say that Apple has the worst environmental record in the information technology sector. That’s one example. Here’s another.
Today’s news is a major reversal from only a week ago, when Jobs issued a statement downplaying any concerns about his health.
Apple CEO Jobs backtracks on health, takes leave
SEATTLE—Apple Inc. co-founder and Chief Executive Steve Jobs said Wednesday he is taking a medical leave until June, even though just a week ago the cancer survivor tried to assure investors and employees his recent weight loss was caused by an easily treatable hormone deficiency.
Yes, there is an ethical line that Jobs and Apple are walking here. As a human being, Jobs has a right to privacy with regard to his health. As a CEO who is considered indespensible to his company, Jobs has an obligation, legal or otherwise, to keep investors informed about his condition. I’m not a securities lawyer, but it is clear from all the chatter about Jobs health, that the company is walking a fine line between his rights and those of his shareholders. Here is an interesting interview with New York Times business columnist Joe Nocera, who says Steve Jobs cannot be trusted!
The problem for Jobs and Apple is that the company has a history of dispensing misinformation (see above), if not outright lies (keep reading).
Back in 2006, controversy around Jobs was not health related, but ethics related. Jobs and others within Apple (and his other company Pixar for that matter) were accused of backdating stock options. How did Jobs and Apple handle the issue? In a way that would make a state rep. blush. As I said at the time,
Apple did what everyone caught with their hand in the cookie jar does, they appointed a blue ribbon panel to investigate.
The chair of this panel, none other than Apple board member Al Gore. How convenient. Miraculously, despite the preponderance of evidence, the Gore panel absolved Jobs of any wrongdoing. I know, your shocked, shocked. Me too. For me, this was yet another example of Al Gore’s Rotten Apple.
The question for Apple shareholders today is, what should they believe? With Apple, it is hard to know where the marketing and showmanship ends and the truth begins.