Summary
Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot in a premeditated attack outside the New York Hilton Midtown before speaking at an investor conference.
The gunman, still at large, fired multiple times, leaving shell casings marked with the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose.”
Authorities suggest Thompson was targeted but remain unclear on the motive. His wife confirmed prior threats against him.
Analysts speculate a possible vendetta tied to his company. The case raises questions about executive security, as Thompson lacked personal protection despite known risks.
“The motive remains unclear” is one of those things that, as a journalist, you know you have to write because it is absolutely the truth, but you hate yourself for every letter of every word because you know how fucking stupid it sounds given the circumstances.
Unless it turns out he was murdered by, for example, an irate shareholder who didn’t make the money he wanted to make.
There is more than one reason he could have been murdered.
Absolutely, hence why they do have to say that the motive is unclear. While we all have strong theories about why this happened, there are plenty of other possibilities that have to be considered. Could have been taken out by his family for insurance money, could have been a business rival, the guy might have gotten in shit with the mob. At this point they just don’t know.
Exactly. We just don’t have enough information yet and it is just silly to assume this is some sort of just world where people behind atrocities that are subsequently murdered are murdered because of those atrocities.
He wrote Deny, defend, depose on the bullets. That’s him speaking the language that the insurance industry uses. I would say that broadly, we know his motive. Who the company denied a claim for is the only real question here.
As I said to someone else, do you really believe this was done by pro-Palestine activists?
It is silly to make assumptions based on three words. It’s especially silly to assume someone isn’t smart enough to make police think they’re not the guilty party.
No I don’t think it has anything to do with Palestine, and everything to do with this book
He switched delay to depose to send a clear message to the insurance industry. That message being, “there’s a fourth step that you fuckers have forgotten in your three step strategy.”
Maybe you should have at least read the name of the URL. I didn’t say that this has anything to do with Palestine.
Please, if you’re not going to read the article, at least read the name of the URL and then respond to me accordingly.
The impression I got from when I lived in the US is that at his level, US oligarchs generally don’t like getting their hands dirty and there are strong communal disincentives to disrespecting “honour among thieves” laws. All the oligarchs groups will gang up on you if you use direct violence against another oligarch.
From what I’ve read, the “mob” in the US largely has no power, definitely nothing on the level of Brian Thompson. Even transnational groups (Mexican cartels, EU gangs, central American gangs) keep a low profile in the US and make a concentrated effort to avoid publicity.
I will admit, family issues is a possibility. Difficult to say. The business rivalry or mob connection doesn’t seem even in the realm of possibility, but I could be wrong.
For some very weird reason it never crossed my mind, and I really do not know why, that I could invest in a huge healthcare corporation whose target it is to provide as little healthcare as possible. But your comment made me think about that that is possible to do.
“It is still unclear which of the potential motives caused the man to pull the trigger”
Nah, that’s a cop out. They could absolutely find somebody speculating on the motive to quote if they wanted to.
That seems like terrible wording. Why not just say the motive is unconfirmed with the suspect if that’s what’s needed to state it as fact?
As of about a month ago there had been ~320 murders in NYC this year.
Yet this single one has captured the media’s attention nationwide and cops seem to be heavily focused on this one.
Because modern society at pretty much every institutional level sees the wealthy and powerful as not just more important than us, but they dont even see us. Hell, compare this to school shootings that only make local news now.
Historically, societies like this end in an incredibly brutal fashion. And until the wealthy and powerful really can build terminator style robot armies…
The masses are always going to win.
It’s kind of the natural consequences of hyper concentration of a finite and essential resource. People rarely sit around and starve voluntarily, and once the majority are starving, people start acting like a mob.
We see it day to day over minor stuff where people just refuse to follow societial norms. Everyday we’re shown that rules don’t really matter, and none of the people who matter are held accountable. If someone isn’t physically stopped from doing something, they take that as permission. Hell, that was the defense of most 1/6ers.
The social contract was invalidated a long time ago, people are just now realizing it. And that’s the only thing that really seperates us from animals.
Crashing out is gonna be the norm pretty fucking soon, I don’t think we have 4 years or that trump will be able to hold society together.
There’s a very high chance we’re gonna live in some interesting times.
I think the biggest thing to emphasize - and you mentioned it but I think it bears repeating over and over - is that when the system fails to enforce justice, people will seek justice themselves. This is the social contract you mentioned. I think we should expect more of this until the system is reformed and people like this do face justice within it.
“When peaceful disobedience doesn’t work the people don’t stop being disobedient, they stop being peaceful.”
That said, very few of those murders were
notpoint blank assassinations in public during the day. That’s sort of a bigger deal.Edit: Me not inglesh gud.
Authorities suggest Thompson was targeted but remain unclear on the motive.
Friggin Sherlock Holmes’ over here.
The case raises questions about executive security
“We won’t be pressured into changing the system we’ll just protect the rich exploiters better”
if it costs less to defend the CEO than to provide good healthcare they will always go with increasing defense.
I sure hope nobody copies this behavior of retribution against the billionaire class which is responsible for almost all of the worlds suffering.
Thoughts and Prayering so hard right now.
What a bullshit take.
To those upset that this is headline news because he’s rich, remember that exposure breeds copycats.
It would be a shame if the rich got eaten. I do not support eating the rich
If you’re going to, use some sweet baby rays.
I don’t want food poisoning
Oh no, how terrible.
Its simple all you clueless colombos. Just start investigating all denied claims where the person died at a result. Shouldn’t take more than a decade or so to go though that list.
You misspelled century
You also need to include deaths due to delayed or inadequate treatment, and suicides related to medical debt
its all been discarded by now.
Thoughts and deductibles to his family.
authorities remain unclear about the motive
the authorities are fucking idiots
They know the motive, they just don’t have enough proof to say it publicly. They like to keep things vague.
More likely too many motives that fit.
They know the motives but the lords above them tell them to shut up and say they don’t know.
To those complaining this is news because this is a rich white CEO and shouldn’t be. It’s fascinating to me because it seems like vengeance. It seems like it was well planned. It seems like the killer may have had a personal beef with the insurance company. I don’t usually follow things like this but I think insurance companies are genuinely evil. This one has my interest.
Insurance companies hate this one trick.
But no honestly, why are they acting like CEOs are fucking important?
Just parasites is all they are.
I wonder if his death will be covered by insurance.
Delay, deny, defend?
LMAO. It’s hilarious to me how basically nobody is mourning the death of this dude. Hopefully it is making other insurance leadership start to rethink their careers.
Or course. He’s Ebaneezer Scrooge without the redemption arc.
Boy I hope no future healthcare CEO assassins copy this calling card, and I especially hope their bullet shells aren’t covered with the names of people killed by the CEO’s company denying them healthcare.
Not only would that encourage more copy cats, but it would really capture people’s attention and get them thinking about the issue. If the public starts considering crazy propaganda like how seeking maximum profit at the expense of widespread human suffering might not be life’s most noble pursuit, just imagine what could happen!
“Thompson lacked personal protection despite known risks.”
Oh. Oh ho ho. That is an interesting bit of information.
Not the lacking personal protection. That does surprise me, but not a lot.
What does surprise me is the “despite known risks.”
Was he that arrogant? Or do they, the powerful, greedy, and heartless, fear the wrong things?
Interesting to consider. The primal instinct to fear for ones life drives the most basic of biology. Is it possible, that this class of individuals lacks that fear? Or is it that there is something that fear more?
I think we all know the answer to that, of course. They fear losing power and wealth. That’s quite a vulnerability. They protect that wealth and power more than their own life. I feel like I’ve heard about consequences to that.
He was that arrogant, and the powerful and rich don’t know actual fear at all until they meet a guy like the one this CEO met.
Man, it’d be a shame if his life insurance company dropped coverage for that.
The assassin was a pre-existing condition, a condition caused by his last workplace, clearly.
CEOs around the world scrambling to hire security.
Has anyone in law enforcement even done the first step here and put together a list of people who might have a reason to kill this guy? Lets get with the program here, cops.
10% of the country is gonna be one hell of a perp walk.
