Gear up for the return of the internet stock offering. Open Table, in line to go public at a valuation of up to $1bn this year, just landed a chief exec. Not just any suit: Jeff Jordan, an Ebay veteran, who gets unusually enthusiastic reviews from former colleagues. So enthusiastic that we even touted him, only half jokingly, as the man who could bring vision and managerial competence to Yahoo. Jordan, a fanatical mountain biker who begins workdays at 5am catching up with email on an exercise bike, is too much of a workaholic for our liking; but one presumes his ferocious discipline will come in useful as the online reservation system navigates an torturous lead-up to an IPO.

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