Whoa.
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Whoa. NYT reports the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was fatally shot in Midtown Manhattan in what appears to be a targeted attack: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/12/04/nyregion/brian-thompson-uhc-ceo-shot
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@briankrebs Only 100,000 suspects from this year, right?
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Wow, the comments here somewhat mirror those on Youtube videos about the shooting (e.g "good!" "hero!" "give that person a reward!" etc). It's a safe bet that other CEOs (and potentially other would-be "heroes") are taking note.
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Dave "Wear A Goddamn Mask" Cochran :donor:replied to BrianKrebs last edited by
@briankrebs it's almost like 400 million people are tired of getting fucked over by 10 rich asshats or something
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@briankrebs so many CEOs have an extremely detached "what did I do?" attitude towards the companies that they run.
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@briankrebs I'm seeing a lot disturbing replies in here. This was a man. He had a family (parents, at a minimum). He was probably smart. He may have had things he cared about and contributed to in his community (most C suite execs I've known did).
I don't think he could lead UnitedHealthcare for the last three years without making a lot of very impactful mistakes. He may have even been a bad person (I didn't know him nor have I researched him).
However, to bring about change requires understanding how we got to where we are. Assassinations are an attempt at short circuiting that learning process, very often a response to anger, and that accomplishes basically nothing. Do we seriously believe United and all insurance companies are suddenly going to change their behavior? I do, in that they'll hire more body guards. That's it. That's the sum total of change. No incentive has been altered by this event. Lawmakers won't lionize this murderer in order to push systemic reform. If anything, this sets back attempts at reformation.
Further, I think everyone deserves to feel safe in the workplace, even if they do a terrible job.
This is a tragedy, and I think that's especially true for those of us that want to see United founder on the rocky shores of competition and bankruptcy. If you want to see change, go be that change. Run for office, call your representative, start a PAC, or even just knock on doors. Heck, you could start a campaign to get on the BoD for United! There are lots of ways to turn that anger into something productive rather than destructive, and I would implore you, beg of you, to consider those above encouraging violence.
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@briankrebs The Social Darwinists against masking will have a field day with this.
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@briankrebs The first thing I thought of was A Tale of Two Cities.
The fact that French revolutionary leaders were the mentors and supporters of American revolutionary leaders is not lost on anyone who actually paid attention in history class.
Resisting the unsustainable exploitation of essential goods and services by the conspicuously and obscenely wealthy and heartless is the American origin story.
When people have nothing left to lose, they give up worrying about normative standards of behaviour.
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@briankrebs
Definitely a hit.
If someone was denied coverage, I doubt that they would have the money for a professional.
I suspect a more personal motive.
If everyone who is an "asshat" was executed, would any of us be left?
Again, I suspect something personal.
