Ad hoc infinitum

17 January 2011 By Robert Cyran Follow @rob_cyran

Steve Jobs is handing daytoday control of Apple to chief operating officer Tim Cook due to health issues. Yet he retains the CEO title. It’s the third such move, and this time it is indefinite. However painful, a more formal transfer to an acting CEO would have been better.

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Steve Jobs is taking a medical leave of absence for an indefinite period from Apple. The company's chief operating officer, Tim Cook, will run the company on a day to day basis, with Jobs retaining control over major strategic decisions. Jobs will retain the title chief executive officer.

This is the third time Jobs has stepped aside from daily work for health reasons. Cook ran the company for a short period in 2004 when Jobs had a pancreas operation, and for six months in 2009 when he had a liver transplant.

(This article has been corrected to refer to Mr Jobs' pancreas, not liver as originally published.)

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