Analyst sees Steve Jobs remaining Apple chief

Even though there are currently 150 companies undergoing stock option investigations—which have resulted in the resignations of 9 CEOs and at least 27 executives or directors—Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster believes Steve Jobs will remain Apple’s CEO. Munster said today that Jobs should be in the clear, given that he was aware of these grant dates but was not aware of the accounting treatment and did not benefit from them. “We believe the options backdating issue is in Apple’s rearview mirror and Steve Jobs will remain Apple’s CEO,” Munster said. “Although these issues tarnish Apple’s squeaky clean image, they do not impact the company’s underlying fundamentals. As a result, we expect investors to shift their focus to CPU market share gains and strong iPod sales through the upcoming holiday season.”