credit: ollesvensson

Investing is a lot about trying to predict the future of a company. But what if that future depends on one single person?

• When Apple’s CEO announced he was taking medical leave earlier this week, AAPL shares suddenly lost a lot of value. Steve Jobs is widely considered to be the secret to Apple’s success.
• But the next day, the company released an amazing first-quarter earnings report, revealing record profit from the past three months.
• The question now – without Steve Jobs on the job(s), can Apple continue to be as successful as it is today?

Facts & Figures

• Apple’s profit this quarter was $6 billion
• That’s 78% more than the same three months last year
• The company sold 16.2 million iPhones, 7.33 million iPads, and 4.1 million mac computers
• This is Jobs’ third medical leave in seven years

Best Quote

“To think of a world without Steve Jobs is a really scary thought because he has had such a major influence on all of our lives whether we know it or not.” – Gene Munster, Analyst at Piper Jaffray (an investment bank)

What do you think?

How would this week’s news that Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking more medical leave change your decision about whether to invest in Apple?

Tags: Apple, earnings, Steve Jobs