Kevin O’Leary Urges Health Care Executives to Address Public Outrage After Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
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In the wake of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson’s brutal killing, “Shark Tank” star and investor Kevin O’Leary criticized the response from corporate executives, urging them to “read the room” rather than focus on bolstering security.
Speaking on CNN Wednesday, O’Leary addressed the public backlash ignited by Thompson’s assassination, particularly as frustrations with the healthcare system came to a boiling point. “This is quite a backlash,” he said. “This is the power of social media.”
O’Leary emphasized that executives should view the incident as a wake-up call to address systemic issues, not simply protect themselves. Drawing a stark metaphor, he told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer: “If anything good is going to come of this, it’s going to be policy change because you’ve basically got people lighting up their torches, just like in the Frankenstein story, and going to the castle, and they’re going to burn it down.
And you got to hear that.” He continued, “If you’re an executive saying, ‘get me more security guards,’ wrong answer. That’s just wrong.”
The public outrage following Thompson’s killing — and the subsequent arrest of suspected assassin Luigi Mangione — has largely focused on the frustrations surrounding health insurance claim denials and appeals. O’Leary advised healthcare executives to shift their approach, focusing on humanizing their role in customers’ lives.
“They should be coming out now saying, ‘Look, we get it, we have families too, we’re people, we have children, we care about what you think about, and we’re going to automate this process and make it better,’” O’Leary said.
Instead, he warned that visible responses like increased security and fortified headquarters send the wrong message. “Putting a fence around headquarters, hiring more security guards — that’s all bad imagery, Wolf. It’s all bad. And it’s not the right answer.”
O’Leary acknowledged that there are legitimate reasons for denying insurance claims but stressed that, in the court of public opinion, it no longer matters. “Social media is now the jury, and it doesn’t like what it sees,” he added.
As Thompson’s death continues to stir debate over health care and corporate accountability, O’Leary’s comments highlight the growing pressure on executives to address public frustrations rather than hide behind layers of security.
