Also in January came the news that Apple's visionary leader and CEO, Steve Jobs, would be taking a medical leave of absence until the end of June. Although Jobs. 53 years old, had appeared to be completely cured of The pancreatic cancer that sidelined him in 2004, he had Lost considerable weight during 2008, causing speculation that his cancer had returned. Jobs's physicians found that a hormone imbalance. a side effect of the cancer treatment.Was creating a nutritional problem that needed monitoring and treatment.' Stating that his "health-related issuesare more complex than I originally thought," Jobs asked COO Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple's day-to-day operations, while Jobs remained "involved in major strategic decisions." This news caused Apple shares to drop7.56 percent on that day and prompted the Securities and Exchange Commission to wonder whether the Apple board of directors (which included former U.S. Vice PresidentAl Gore and Google's CEO, Dr. Eric Schmidt, among others) "was as forthcoming about [Jobs's] illness as it I have been.