I have found the shooting to death of CEO Brian Thompson recently and particularly the public reaction to it fascinating. The company’s Facebook post expressing sadness at his death received 62000 reactions which included 57000 laughing emojis.
Thompson was CEO of UnitedHealthcare, a US medical insurance company. Given that the majority support universal healthcare, maybe even in the US, and the behaviour of US medical insurance companies its fair to say that these companies are at the extreme of questionable corporate behaviour. The gunman had inscribed his bullets in an apparent reference to the book “Delay Deny Defend” which is critical of insurance companies approach to avoiding payouts. However, what does this incident tell us about the public’s feelings towards corporations, their senior people and the extremely wealthy in general.
How would the British public react if British Gas CEO Chris O’Shea, who’s “renumeration” last year was £8.2m up from a mere £4.5m previously, was killed in a similar fashion by someone who’s elderly parent or vulnerable relative had died from the impact of not being able to afford record gas prices? Or the Thames Water CEO was attacked by someone with a relative who died from a water borne disease caused by illegal or even legal sewage dumping? Both of these are not an incredible stretch of the imagination and whilst I can’t see the British public reacting to these theoretical events in the same way I also don’t see much sympathy either.
Growing up in the 70s I can recall a local business man being applauded as he opened a village fete, even as he arrived in his Rolls Royce. He ran a local business that employed local people on pretty good terms whilst he likely made maybe 10 or 20 times the average salary. Yes, he lived in a big house but it was in the area where his business was and he was genuinely liked and respected by people. Whilst I appreciate its nowhere near a perfect analogy, how have we gone from that to thousands of people posting laughing emojis at the death of a businessman?
Whilst the bosses have got immeasurably richer, at least financially, in the fairly recent past how has this translated to being happy? Gone from being seen, as often as not, as members of the community to being seen as enemies of society. Globalisation has its part in this in removing work from community to a large degree, we don’t work with our neighbours like we used to, but the bosses have also removed themselves from the society of the majority.
Thompson is reported as being liked by employees and a loving family man. I can well believe this to be the case. I worked in large multinationals and many senior people I worked with were perfectly normal friendly likeable people. However, as a group they often made decisions that no ethical person would make as an individual, which of course does not excuse them of any responsibility from those decisions. I should also add that there are also a lot of genuine “Corporate Psychopaths” in senior positions in corporations – an excellent book by Clive Boddy for those interested in that sort of thing.
The response from corporations to the killing of Thompson has been to remove CEOs and other senior figures photographs from websites and to massively increase their security. Likely a sensible short term move but will it encourage a change in behaviour of corporations and the extremely wealthy? Forgive me if I am not confident but I have seen many corporations adopt and celebrate self-designated culture changes, launching sustainability drives with employees at the centre as their most valuable assets only to make mass redundancies the next minute, not to sustain the company future but to push profits ever higher. But maybe the motivations from this event will be different.
“When You Have More Than You Need, Build A Longer Table Not A Higher Fence” is a quote I like, unknown in origin but made famous by Barack Obama in an address to graduating students. Maybe this ultimately sad event will push those in elite positions to address this philosophy. Ever the optimist!