June 22nd, 2009
Reports: Steve Jobs returned to Apple campus on Monday
Acccording to CNBC’s Silicon Valley correspondent Jim Goldman, employees at Apple reported that CEO Steve Jobs returned to work at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California on Monday. This comes on the same day Jobs was quoted in an Apple press release announcing that the iPhone 3GS sold over 1 million units during its first weekend.
Jobs has been on medical leave from Apple since January and was originally slated to return by the end of June to the company he co-founded in 1977. However, it was recently reported that Jobs had a liver transplant in Tennessee just two months ago.
It’s unclear whether Jobs’ reported appearance today was a single event, the beginning of a part-time return, or his official return to duty.
Goldman wrote, “Officials at Apple have yet to respond to multiple phone calls and emails seeking guidance about Jobs and his whereabouts, but employees are doing what Apple PR isn’t, and that’s confirming that he’s here at work… The news is solid. Jobs is back in the house, at least for today.”
UPDATED:
Adding weight to the report, Reuters posted a story at 5:14 PM Pacific saying, “On Monday, [Jobs] was seen leaving the main Apple building in Cupertino, California and getting into a black car alone that was then driven off by men in black suits with ear-pieces.”
Further, at 6:02 PM Pacific, USA Today posted a story saying, “Jobs … has been in contact with Apple employees the past few weeks via e-mail, three employees told USA TODAY. They did not speak on the record out of fear of repercussions.”
Jason Hiner is the Editor in Chief of TechRepublic, ZDNet's sister site. Read his blog Tech Sanity Check at hiner.techrepublic.com. You can also find him on Twitter, LinkedIn, and JasonHiner.com.
