Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO (Official Letter)

"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."<p>This makes it sound like it does have to do with his health unfortunately, and not that he just feels that it's the right time to do it. (like Bill Gates did with Microsoft)<p>On another note, even though in reality it's not just for the Board but, as put in the letter, for "the Apple community", it feels odd to imagine that he would need to write a formal letter of resignation.

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in square holes. The ones who see things differently.

"Beyond the products, beyond the profits, Jobs' greater gift was to inspire untold numbers of current &#38; future entrepreneurs to be the next Steve Jobs" - Hunter Walk

$76 billion dollars in the bank.<p>If Apple had announced they were going to spend it all to make Steve well again, would would have protested?<p>Somewhere in here is a lesson on the price of immortality.

I'm grateful that Steve managed to sell America on tablets and smart phones after so many failed attempts by others.<p>But as someone who likes to take things apart and tinker, I've haven't been a big fan of Apple in recent years.

Fuck all those WSJ assholes with their "SELL SELL SELL" comments.

Never thought I could be so saddened by a Big Corp. CEO's resignation.

The way he worded his reasoning, makes it sounds like a health issue. I honestly hope that this is not the case.

A true pioneer of the computing industry - farewell.<p>His Standford graduation talk, always inspiring: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA</a>

I really, and I mean REALLY, hope that his biography coming out on November 21 this year and his resignation today have nothing to do with his health.<p>In any way, thank you very much Steve, I guess you can leave your company quite happy and satisfied. :)

The Walt Disney of technology. I will miss him. Get well Steve.

The true test of Steve's legacy will be whether Apple can continue in the image he molded for it well beyond his departure. Great CEO's are felt for a long time after they leave.

who knew that he would take that LDAP bug so seriously?

I'll be interested to see if 10 years from now Apple has stayed true in hardware quality or if they sink to EMachines-like quality levels.

Steve Jobs is leaving at a good time. Apple is the best company in the world. I hope he has his health and can enjoy being with his family and taking a backseat role with Apple.<p>Enjoy the ride Steve. Thanks for being such an inspiration.

I certainly hope this doesn't mean Steve's health is declining, but rather that he and Apple feel the time is right to make a smooth transition towards assigning Tim Cook as the new CEO. It definitely feels like Steve is sincere in his belief that now is the right time for him to step down. I just hope he still has the capacity to creatively inspire Apple in his new role as Chairman as much as he always has.

Whatever happens next, this is the end of a great era for Apple.

I think the biggest thing is that everyone in Apple has a question they can ask themselves, "What would Steve Jobs do?". And if they can honestly answer the question and take decisions based on that, Apple with its lead and its teams and its products will stay ahead for a while to come. [cross posted from another thread]

If he looks back on his company career, he will definitely feel satisfied. 4 products (mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad) that not only changed the world but also became multi-billion dollar businesses. Not to mention countless other products (iTunes, App Store, Safari, Final Cut Pro, Apple ][ etc. :)

You know how the news people run the wonderful stories about people's lives AFTER they are gone? Well I sure wish they'd do it while they are still around.<p>As much as I am not an Apple (or Jobs) fan, I still recognize great achievement when I see it.<p>Best wishes to him and his family.

One silver lining to this: he's going out on top.

Steve really has a deep-seated need to one-up HP.