Apple CEO's
surgery met with get-well wishes from fans.
Aug. 3--Apple
employees Monday took in stride the news that Chief Executive Steve Jobs has
undergone successful cancer surgery. Thousands of Apple fans, meanwhile, sent
get-well wishes as word spread across the fanatical Macintosh community.
"Everybody was talking about it this morning," said Apple employee Sharon Friesen of the e-mail Jobs sent Sunday from his hospital bed detailing his surgery for a rare form of pancreatic cancer and his prognosis for a full recovery. She and two colleagues lunching at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse across from Apple's Cupertino headquarters said employees "weren't too concerned."
"Knowing him, he'll be even more driven when he comes back," she said, with her two gal pals nodding in agreement. "My question is, is he going to have meetings from his hospital bed?"
Until Jobs returns to work in September, the company will be overseen by Timothy Cook, executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations.
Meanwhile, another employee said Jobs' illness may prompt some critical succession planning by Apple's executive team.
"It raises the awareness that he could go at any point," said the employee, who declined to give his name. "Maybe we should start recruiting. There's plenty of people who have the management skills to do the job. But you need the charisma."
Apple staffers weren't too concerned that Apple's co-founder would follow the lead of former Intel chief executive, Andy Grove, who eventually stepped aside after he recovered from prostate cancer. And even if Jobs did leave, Apple would maintain its solid footing, said several employees. Many cited their confidence in the executive team Jobs has recruited since his return to the company in 1997.
"Apple is an icon. It has an identity outside of Steve Jobs," Friesen said. "His drive and motivation is shared by every person who works there. We don't want him to leave, but we would be OK."
Apple die-hards reacted to news of Jobs' surgery with passion and sympathy.
"I have not seen something on this scale before," said Jim Dalrymple, online editor for the Macworld.com and MacCentral.com Web sites. "There are hundreds of postings and without question they are get-well messages for Steve."
The postings started coming in Sunday and continued throughout the day Monday. Typically, Macintosh computer fans show a passion for their machines unlike any other group of technology users. They save their choice words for either criticizing Apple and Jobs for product flaws or defending the Mac against the much-larger Microsoft camp.
"It's amazing to see how people can disconnect from the business side yet have an outpouring of emotion for a man that everybody loves and hates," said Dalrymple, whose Web sites are owned by Mac Publishing. The company's Macworld magazine reaches 1.9 million Mac users.
Dalrymple said Mac fans typically rally around the company when it's attacked by rivals. But he noted nothing has approached the volume of traffic related to Jobs' brush with cancer.
On the MacRumors.com site, there were 174 messages posted by Monday morning about Jobs' surgery. Wrote Mark W: "Everyone should send Steve a get-well iCard." Another, named Riot on an Empty Street, asked, "Whoa, I wonder if getting these rare cancers is stress-related."
Macfan26 wrote, "I'm glad he was able to get that treated in time, and didn't have to go under any chemotherapy. It seems only natural that he would be the one to get something that rarely happens."
Raynegus wrote, "I'd hate to think of what would happen to Apple if Steve died."
In another posting, GaelDesign wrote, "Whoa, that comes as rather a shock. I'm glad it's as not-serious as he says, for his sake as well as Apple's. When you realize just how hands-on Jobs is at Apple in terms of design and strategy, it makes you nervous to realize what might happen if he were to leave planet Earth all of a sudden."
Similar messages were posted at MacCentral.com, AppleInsider.com and a host of other Apple-related fan sites.
Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton said Jobs had not collectively responded to all the well-wishers as of Monday afternoon. "We have been getting lots of good wishes and are grateful to receive them."
"Everybody was talking about it this morning," said Apple employee Sharon Friesen of the e-mail Jobs sent Sunday from his hospital bed detailing his surgery for a rare form of pancreatic cancer and his prognosis for a full recovery. She and two colleagues lunching at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse across from Apple's Cupertino headquarters said employees "weren't too concerned."
"Knowing him, he'll be even more driven when he comes back," she said, with her two gal pals nodding in agreement. "My question is, is he going to have meetings from his hospital bed?"
Until Jobs returns to work in September, the company will be overseen by Timothy Cook, executive vice president of worldwide sales and operations.
Meanwhile, another employee said Jobs' illness may prompt some critical succession planning by Apple's executive team.
"It raises the awareness that he could go at any point," said the employee, who declined to give his name. "Maybe we should start recruiting. There's plenty of people who have the management skills to do the job. But you need the charisma."
Apple staffers weren't too concerned that Apple's co-founder would follow the lead of former Intel chief executive, Andy Grove, who eventually stepped aside after he recovered from prostate cancer. And even if Jobs did leave, Apple would maintain its solid footing, said several employees. Many cited their confidence in the executive team Jobs has recruited since his return to the company in 1997.
"Apple is an icon. It has an identity outside of Steve Jobs," Friesen said. "His drive and motivation is shared by every person who works there. We don't want him to leave, but we would be OK."
Apple die-hards reacted to news of Jobs' surgery with passion and sympathy.
"I have not seen something on this scale before," said Jim Dalrymple, online editor for the Macworld.com and MacCentral.com Web sites. "There are hundreds of postings and without question they are get-well messages for Steve."
The postings started coming in Sunday and continued throughout the day Monday. Typically, Macintosh computer fans show a passion for their machines unlike any other group of technology users. They save their choice words for either criticizing Apple and Jobs for product flaws or defending the Mac against the much-larger Microsoft camp.
"It's amazing to see how people can disconnect from the business side yet have an outpouring of emotion for a man that everybody loves and hates," said Dalrymple, whose Web sites are owned by Mac Publishing. The company's Macworld magazine reaches 1.9 million Mac users.
Dalrymple said Mac fans typically rally around the company when it's attacked by rivals. But he noted nothing has approached the volume of traffic related to Jobs' brush with cancer.
On the MacRumors.com site, there were 174 messages posted by Monday morning about Jobs' surgery. Wrote Mark W: "Everyone should send Steve a get-well iCard." Another, named Riot on an Empty Street, asked, "Whoa, I wonder if getting these rare cancers is stress-related."
Macfan26 wrote, "I'm glad he was able to get that treated in time, and didn't have to go under any chemotherapy. It seems only natural that he would be the one to get something that rarely happens."
Raynegus wrote, "I'd hate to think of what would happen to Apple if Steve died."
In another posting, GaelDesign wrote, "Whoa, that comes as rather a shock. I'm glad it's as not-serious as he says, for his sake as well as Apple's. When you realize just how hands-on Jobs is at Apple in terms of design and strategy, it makes you nervous to realize what might happen if he were to leave planet Earth all of a sudden."
Similar messages were posted at MacCentral.com, AppleInsider.com and a host of other Apple-related fan sites.
Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton said Jobs had not collectively responded to all the well-wishers as of Monday afternoon. "We have been getting lots of good wishes and are grateful to receive them."
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