Week in review: Steve Jobs' secret transplant

Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple for the past six months, received a liver transplant at a hospital in Memphis, Tenn., two months ago. Earlier this year, Apple's CEO was reported to be relocating from California to Tennessee, which has a shorter waiting list for patients seeking organs.

Jobs, 54, has been the subject of heated speculation regarding his health since last June's Worldwide Developers Conference, when he appeared to have lost a great deal of weight. At the time, Apple insisted that Jobs' health was a private matter but revealed in early January that its chief executive was suffering from a hormone imbalance that was impeding his body's ability to absorb certain proteins.

The surgery, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, was confirmed with Jobs' approval by the hospital where the procedure occurred. Methodist University Hospital added that Jobs received the liver because he was "the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available."

Although Apple has chosen to remain quiet about the health of CEO Steve Jobs, a prominent investor criticized the handling of the situation. In an interview on CNBC, Berkshire Hathaway CEO and iconic investor Warren Buffett said Apple should have disclosed the seriousness of Jobs' illness, describing it as a "material fact" for shareholders of the company.

Buffett's criticism--which joins a growing chorus--resonates more than others perhaps since he has dual roles as the face of his company as well as an investor in others. In this case, he's clearly taking the side of the investors. A material fact, as he references, is information necessary to make an informed decision.
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