Members of Apple's board begin thinking about Steve Jobs successor? Steve Jobs: "I think it's hogwash" – unaware of discussions?

When Steve Jobs revealed this past January that he was taking his second medical leave as CEO of Apple in less than five years, we all knew things were very uncertain at Apple. We didn't know how long the medical leave would last, or even if Jobs would be back as CEO of the company he founded 35 years ago. With that being said, Jobs has appeared at several Apple media events, including the announcement of the iPad 2 back in March. 

Today, The Wall Street Journal is reporting (subscription required) that some members of Apple's board have begun discussing possible successors to Steve Jobs, should he not return to his position at Apple. 

Since Steve Jobs went on medical leave this winter, some members of Apple Inc.'s board have discussed CEO succession with executive recruiters and at least one head of a high-profile technology company, according to people familiar with the matter. 

The conversations weren't explicitly aimed at recruiting a new chief executive and were more of an informal exploration of the company's options, said these people. The directors don't appear to have been acting on behalf of the full board, some of these people said.

The report also claims that Apple's board has been routinely holding private meeting and are taking the "succession planning seriously." Everyone who participates in the meetings are "sworn to secrecy," according to the source. 

Apple's Chief Operating Officer (COO), Tim Cook, has been handling daily operations at Apple during both of Jobs' medical leaves and is still considered to be the most likely successor as CEO of Apple.  

In addition, Steve Jobs reportedly stated in an email that he believes this report is "hogwash." WSJ says that the response from Jobs may be because he wasn't aware of the discussions going on.