Good morning.There are many shocking elements about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on the streets of Manhattan yesterday—from how he was stalked by the gunman to the fact that the fleeing suspect has yet to be caught. Whether the killer was a disgruntled customer, hired assassin, or motivated by something else entirely remains to be seen. What a sad day for his family, his colleagues and everyone else who knew him.Two other things struck me as especially disturbing. First is the reaction to Thompson’s death on social media. Amid the usual RIP messages was a wave of vitriol, contempt, and dehumanization of Thompson. Look at the comments on this YouTube video or the reaction to this reddit post.We’re all used to trolls. What feels different is the widespread anger and lack of decency. Maybe media platforms should turn off comments in tragedies like this out of respect for the victim. But we also need to explore what’s spurring the hatred. UnitedHealth has been sued and widely criticized over its algorithmic system to deny coverage, its industry-leading claim-denial rates and its high profits that allegedly came from lowering compensation for care. The Justice Department was suing the company, alleging that it reduced competition and hurt the quality of care in the hospice industry. The Hollywood Firefighters Pension Fund sued Thompson and his colleagues alleging insider trading.Thompson’s wife said he had been getting some threats. In this charged atmosphere, what’s also shocking is the lack of security around the UnitedHealthcare CEO. He was walking alone on the street at the time of his death. As one CEO told me yesterday: “I would be asking the board why they didn’t insist that Brian have security with him at all times.”Healthcare is an industry that evokes especially strong emotions, given its life-and-death consequences. There’s much that Brian Thompson and UnitedHealthcare were trying to do to improve the state of human health. UnitedHealth Group became the country’s largest health insurer for a reason. It’s to early to draw lessons from such a random tragedy when so many questions remain unanswered. But, surely, more can be done to avoid another.More news below. Diane Bradydiane.brady@fortune.comFollow on LinkedInTOP NEWSTrump taps Atkins for SEC chairPresident-elect Trump named Paul Atkins, a pro-crypto financial regulator and former SEC commissioner, as his pick to replace Gary Gensler as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the Truth Social post announcing the pick, Trump praised Atkins for being a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” FortuneBlack Friday sticker shock In a TikTok video that’s gone viral, Home Depot is accused of masking original prices with a “Black Friday deal” sticker boasting the same price. There’s long been a buyer-beware nature to such retail holidays but customers don’t like to feel duped. FortuneSalesforce stock jumps 11% on earningsSalesforce stock jumped 11% on Tuesday after reporting an 8% increase in revenue year over year for the third quarter. The enthusiasm rides on CEO Marc Benioff’s pivot to AI-powered customer service agents—but he’ll have to prove he can actually sell them in the coming months. FortuneAROUND THE WATERCOOLERWarren Buffett’s two secrets for hiring great leaders by Jane ThierHow Intel’s unresolved identity crisis led to a CEO ouster that leaves the chipmaker’s future at risk by David MeyerInfluencers behind the ‘Birds Aren’t Real’ phenomenon resurrected the defunct Enron brand and are using it to sell t-shirts by Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez‘Hawk tuah’ girl Haliey Welch launches crypto memecoin—but insists it’s not a cash grab by Leo SchwartzBill Gates wants to help ‘make sense of the world around you’ this Christmas with his holiday reading list by Christiaan HetznerBrian Moynihan has some advice for Elon Musk when it comes to running the DOGE—but it may not be the Tesla CEO’s style by Eleanor PringleThis edition of CEO Daily was curated by Joey Abrams.This is the web version of CEO Daily, a newsletter of must-read global insights from CEOs and industry leaders. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox.
