I actually like the people you mentioned, Dave Thomas, Jobs,and Bezos. I wouldn't hire any of them to run a hot dog stand. These were guys who built their own companies and came up from nothing. The corporate animal who steps into another company is different thing altogether. Can you imagine Jobs running Boeing? Or Dave Thomas running GE?
Boards place very large bets on CEOs. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.
My point is that contained within Boeing or GE are several people who are probably far more capable than the usual suspects from the incestuous circle of Yalies or HBS graduates they usually choose from. The CEO should always come from within.