Leader: The small world of situations vacant

Last week we were mulling over just who might replace Carly Fiorina in the HP top job. Recently there has been a spate of CEO positions filled; at CA, Dell and Siebel to name three major posts, so there are doubtless more than a few up-to-date CVs.

Robert Wayman, HP's chief financial officer, has been named interim CEO at HP but while 'caretaker managers' have been known on occasion to make the job their own it's likely a bigger name will follow once the seat has been warmed to their liking by the stand-in.

But who?

Well, if the bookies cared about such matters they may start showing more than a little interest in news that Verizon has today made a $6.7bn move for MCI – formerly WorldCom and current home to Michael Capellas, whose odds for the HP job they may cut considerably on the news.

Capellas of course left HP in the wake of the acquisition of Compaq – the side of the merger from which he hailed. He was out of a job for approximately a weekend before walking into WorldCom. Which was handy.

Of course the difference between now and then is that Capellas isn't out of a job. However, what role he will have to play in the merged telecoms giant is unclear but often such deals are bad news for the head honcho at the acquired. Or good news depending on the job they walk into next.

So, could Capellas really be out of a job by Friday and back to HP by Monday?

Perhaps the timeframe may not be so dramatic and given he left HP once already there will be issues related to a return that will need ironing out but stranger things have certainly happened.

Watch this space.