Apple CEO Steve Jobs Returns to Work
Steve Jobs is back to work on a part-time basis, Apple says.
June 29, 2009 — -- After six weeks of medical leave, Apple CEO Steve Jobs has returned to work on a part-time basis, a company spokesman told ABC News.
"Steve is back to work. He is currently at Apple a few days a week and is working from home the remaining days. We are very glad to have him back," the spokesman said.
In mid-January, Jobs said in an e-mail to Apple employees that he would take a medical leave of absence from the company.
"Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well," Jobs wrote in the e-mail. "In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought."
Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, assumed chief executive responsibilities in Jobs' absence.
Jobs Had Liver Transplant Two Months Ago
Last week, the Methodist University Hospital Transplant Institute confirmed Jobs had a liver transplant and was recovering well. The hospital's statement came after several days of intense speculation about his health.
In the statement, Dr. James Eason, the program director and chief of transplantation, did not say when the operation occurred, but said that Jobs "is now recovering well and has an excellent prognosis."
The announcement was made with Jobs' permission, according to the statement.
The hospital statement also explained how Jobs qualified for the transplant.
"Mr. Jobs underwent a complete transplant evaluation and was listed for transplantation for an approved indication in accordance with the Transplant Institute policies and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) policies," the statement said.
"He received a liver transplant because he was the patient with the highest MELD score (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) of his blood type and, therefore, the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available," it said.
Jobs' health -- and what it could mean for the future of Apple -- has been a hot topic ever since January, when he announced that he would take six months of medical leave.
Jobs has been private about medical matters, including a rare form of pancreatic cancer that was successfully treated with surgery in 2004.
ABC News' Daniel Arnall contributed to this report.