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Jul 23 2008 1:19PM EDT

Tell Us You're Healthy, Steve Jobs

Blaise Zerega is sorry to have to comment on this.  Ordinarily, I'd say a person's health is a private matter. Even if hedge fund managers hire private investigators and medical teams to determine whether or not he is in ill health or his pancreatic cancer has returned. Even if his health is red-meat for Silicon Valley gossip-mongers. Even if that person is Steve Jobs, ruler almighty of all things Apple.

But the company's wishy-washy statements on yesterday's earning call and consequent whispering campaign cause me to write otherwise. Please come clean with the facts, Steve. And do it quickly, before the rumors spiral out-of-control and become an enormous distraction for you, your company, and your shareholders.

At worst, you confirm you have cancer -- something that if true, man does my heart go out to you. But so will the hearts of the Apple faithful. Such a mortal admission will obviously set off calls for a succession plan. But as if that's news to you and your board. My guess is you've got at least something sketched on a napkin somewhere. And consider the example of Andy Grove, who went public with his prostate cancer in 1996.

At best, you confirm that you do not have cancer or other life-threatening disease, There's still the question of succession planning, obviously. But again, this is not the first time it would have come up -- get out that napkin.

Until today I was shouting to leave Steve alone.  This is someone's health -- and life, we're talking about. But now, it seems the only way for Steve to be left alone is to face down the rumors.

To Steve: Good luck.


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