Bloggers Play the Cancer Card
Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - 1:59 pm
Will Henry Blodget do anything for a page view?
Many readers will consider this post inappropriate, and we apologize in advance for that. After seeing photos of Steve Jobs at WWDC yesterday (AAPL), however, we weren't the only ones who wondered whether Steve Jobs is sick again.
For almost any other human being, this topic would be a personal matter. In this case, however, tens of billions of dollars of market value rests on Steve's remaining healthy and at the helm of Apple for many years, so his health is a material business concern. SAI
The geeks are taking offense; bashing the iPhone 3G is one thing, but they feel he crossed the line:
Maybe it's our particular infatuation with Apple and its mercurial co-founder, or maybe it's simply a by-product of the times we live in, where seemingly nothing is out of bounds for public discussion. Whatever the reason, I surely can't be the only person reacting to the "Is Steve having a cancer relapse" rumor with a fix of frustration and disgust. c/net
Did Blodget cross the line? Health issues with C-suite executives are usually handled delciately, but the news is disseminated, however respectfully. With every blog a part-time tabloid, those days might be over, at least with the highest profile executives.
The world has changed, that is certain. Wall Street is far more politically correct than it used to be; in the old days you probably could have put on a bet that Jobs would outlast Lehman, or vice versa. Sick? Yeah sure, but that is life is the big city.
The stock certainly has no worries today. Personally, I wish Steve a long and prosperous life. He is uniquely American, and we sure could use a few more of him right about now.
Give the Jobs cancer story a rest
c/net
