Techradar again: Steve Jobs is sick. Leave him alone.
Imagine you’d had a close encounter with cancer a few years back. You turn up to work with a bit of a cold, and your boss gives you a worried look. “Is the cancer back?†Er, no. I’ve got a bit of a cold. You go for a coffee. “Oh god, is the cancer back?†asks the bloke from sales. No, you say. I’ve got a cold. Back at your desk, somebody accidentally CCs you on an email. It turns out that everybody in the company has become a doctor, they’ve all diagnosed you with cancer, and they’ve emailed your family to break the news.
…that’s exactly what elements of the press pack and blogging crowd have been doing to Steve Jobs since June.
The inimitable Ian Betteridge argues the exact opposite.
Steve Jobs is also a senior executive of a publicly-traded company, and with that role comes certain responsibilities. Steve has responsibilities to his shareholders – and, importantly, so do Apple’s board of directors.
The illness of a senior executive is a classic area where boards need to be strong, and work for the shareholders. It’s a tough time for everyone, but the role of the board, as I’ll explain, means they have to look at things in a way which is impersonal – and which some might find insensitive.
So who’s right? There’s only one way to find out…
I’ve been looking for an excuse to embed a Harry Hill video for ages.