(Reuters) - Apple Inc Chief Executive Steve Jobs, who is on medical leave from the company, will attend a meeting in California on Thursday with President Barack Obama, a source familiar with the meeting said.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google Inc Chief Executive Eric Schmidt will also attend the meeting, the source told Reuters.
Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, stepped away from Apple on medical leave last month. It was the third time in seven years that Jobs has taken leave for health-related reasons.
The National Enquirer on Thursday published pictures that purported to show Jobs arriving at the Stanford Cancer Center in Palo Alto, California.
Shares of Apple slipped 1.3 percent.
A spokeswoman for Stanford Hospital declined to comment.
The company has declined to provide any details on his health, comment on the recent reports, or say when he might return from leave.
Jobs had surgery in 2004 for an unusual type of tumor on his pancreas called a neuroendocrine tumor. He had a liver transplant in 2009.
Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook is running Apple's day-to-day operations while Jobs is on leave.
Analysts noted that Jobs' health problems are widely known by investors, who are not likely to be shocked by Internet reports.
"I find it puzzling that he would be on campus and 'working' from home if he was that sick," said Peter Misek, an analyst at Jefferies. "Seeing him go into a cancer treatment facility shouldn't be a surprise."
Jobs has recently been seen on Apple's campus in Palo Alto, near San Francisco. The company has said he will continue to be involved in major strategic decisions.
Obama is flying to San Francisco later on Thursday. In California, he is to meet with a number of business leaders in technology and innovation at a private residence, the White House said.
The White House has been pushing lately to improve its relations with the business community. Since his fellow Democrats were routed in mid-term congressional elections in November, the president has been making a concerted effort to heal a rift with the U.S. corporate community.
Thursday's meeting will address issues including how to strengthen the U.S. economy, support entrepreneurship and generate jobs in the United States, the White House said.
General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt, who was expected to attend and was chosen to head an outside panel of experts to give economic advise to the White House, will not be attending, a GE spokesman said.
