“At News Corp., some people already are envisioning the jobs they might snag at Walt Disney Co. should their boss, Peter Chernin, wind up succeeding Michael Eisner,” Sallie Hofmeister reports for The Los Angeles Times. “They’re sheepish, but they can’t resist. ‘I have to admit,’ said one person who works for Chernin, the media’s conglomerate’s chief operating officer, ‘I’ve thought about it.’ Chernin is widely viewed by people in the industry, and by investors and headhunters, as the most logical candidate for Eisner’s job, which hangs in the balance this week.”
Hofmeister reports that Apple and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs is considered one of the potential Eisner replacements:
Wall Street has speculated for some time that the co-founder of Apple Computer Inc. could sell his vaunted Pixar Animation Studios to Disney and end up succeeding Eisner as CEO. Such talk intensified when Pixar failed in January to renew a lucrative alliance with Disney that has led to blockbusters such as “Toy Story” and “Finding Nemo.”
On the other hand, Pixar’s success doesn’t mean Jobs is ready to run an entertainment giant seven times its size. “He’s got the vision thing and leadership skills, but it’s a big leap,” said a leading recruiter.
Full article here.