Bits: Daily Report: Coveting Uber’s Chief Executive Job

Uber, the ride-hailing service, has had a few quiet weeks since its chief executive, Travis Kalanick, was forced out of the top job last month.

But behind the scenes, there has been plenty of activity related to the company’s search for a new chief, reports Mike Isaac, a technology reporter for The New York Times.

Despite all the issues facing Uber — including reforming a difficult workplace culture, legal entanglements and an exodus of top executives — many people in other industries, in Silicon Valley and beyond, still covet the company’s chief executive job. That’s because Uber’s massive imprint around the world and its disruption of the global transportation industry offer a chance for someone to come in, engineer a turnaround and have a big effect.

Of course, that person, whoever it is, will have many hurdles to deal with — not least the presence of Mr. Kalanick on Uber’s board.

Still, as one executive recruiter told Mike, the job is attractive for those who have steel nerves. “These people are problem solvers,” the recruiter, Jason Hanold, said. “The hairier a scenario is, the more they’re attracted to trying to fix it.”