Steve Jobs to take medical leave of absence from Apple

Steve Jobs sent the following email to all Apple employees earlier this morning informing them that he’ll be taking a leave of absence to attend to medical issues. Much like the last time Jobs took a leave of absence from Apple, COO Tim Cook will be left to handle the day to day duties in Cupertino.

Team,

At my request, the board of directors has granted me a medical leave of absence so I can focus on my health. I will continue as CEO and be involved in major strategic decisions for the company.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple’s day to day operations. I have great confidence that Tim and the rest of the executive management team will do a terrific job executing the exciting plans we have in place for 2011.

I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can. In the meantime, my family and I would deeply appreciate respect for our privacy.

Steve