Apple says Steve Jobs heart attack rumor untrue
An already jittery stock market is so nervous about the health of Steve Jobs that it sent Apple shares down sharply earlier this morning after an anonymous Internet poster reported that Apple's chief executive had been rushed to the hospital with a heart attack.
The report raced around the Internet, elevating "steve jobs heart attack" to the top spot on Google Hot Trends this morning.
Apple quickly responded that the report was not true, and the stock rebounded. It's now up $4.44, roughly 4%.
The post appeared on CNN's iReport site, which allows people to contribute unfiltered, unedited news tips. The post has now been removed. But here is what Johntw, the poster, wrote, according to Barron's:
Steve Jobs was rushed to the ER just a few hours ago after suffering a major heart attack. I have an insider who tells me that paramedics were called after Steve claimed to be suffering from severe chest pains and shortness of breath.
My source has opted to remain anonymous, but he is quite reliable. I haven’t seen anything about this anywhere else yet, and as of right now, I have no further information, so I thought this would be a good place to start. If anyone else has more information, please share it.
Not only should the credibility of citizen journalism sites be questioned, even if they are under the CNN umbrella, says Silicon Alley Insider, but the Securities and Exchange Commission will probably want to look into what happened and find out more about Johntw.
And maybe investors too should draw a lesson: Take a few deep breaths before selling off of sketchy news.
-- Michelle Quinn
Photo: Steve Jobs in September 2008. Credit: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg News
It should be no challenge to verify if Steve Jobs has been hospitalized, and probably which hospital. But until it is verified, it should be treated as a sneaky short seller's ploy. If Steve Jobs shows up at Apple Headquarters soon, then the rumor will be proved false. Otherwise, we have to wait.
Posted by: H. Craig Bradley | October 03, 2008 at 10:50 AM
1st Tweets ~ Steve Jobs Heart Attack ~ Timeline/Chart... http://tweetip.us/lkq3e
Posted by: tweetip | October 03, 2008 at 01:25 PM