Fact Check: Did UnitedHealthcare Put Out Job Ad For New CEO After Shooting?
December 6, 2024
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A gunman killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson in what police have said was a targeted attack outside a hotel in New York City.
Thompson, 50, was shot around 6:45 a.m. on Wednesday as he walked alone to the New York Hilton Midtown from a nearby hotel, police said.
A manhunt remains underway for the assailant, who police said fled on foot before pedaling an electric bike into Central Park a few blocks away. Police have not provided details about a motive, but said that “all indications are that it was a premeditated, targeted attack.”
Andrew Witty, the CEO of the insurer’s parent company, UnitedHealth Group Inc., paid tribute to Thompson in a video sent to the company’s employees. The company said in a statement that Thompson was “a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him.”
CEO of UnitedHealth Brian Thompson was fatally shot Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown, Manhattan, in what police say was a targeted attack. CEO of UnitedHealth Brian Thompson was fatally shot Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown, Manhattan, in what police say was a targeted attack. Getty Images / UnitedHealthcare Group
The Claim
A TikTok video went viral in the aftermath of the shooting, claiming that UnitedHealthcare was advertising a CEO position.
The video, uploaded by a user with the handle @lolbrenden (archived), not long after Thompson was killed, shows a man covering his mouth with a hand before moving his head to reveal a screenshot showing what appears to be a job listing for a chief executive officer position at UnitedHealthcare.
The listing says the job is located in Minnetonka, Minnesota and is a full-time and remote position with an annual salary of between $300,000 to $450,000. According to the screenshot shown in the video, more than 100 applications for the role had already been received.
The video has garnered more than nine million views as of Friday morning, and more than 10,000 comments. Newsweek has contacted @lolbrenden for comment via TikTok.
The Facts
A search on UnitedHealthcare’s website and LinkedIn for a listing advertising a CEO position yielded no results early on Friday morning.
It is unlikely that the company posted an online advertisement seeking to fill Thompson’s position given the circumstances of his death.
Witty called Thompson’s death “a terrible tragedy.”
“I know we are in shock and disbelief,” he said in the video to employees, which was obtained by Fox News. “Our hearts are with his family. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers and be assured we’ll be there for them. I hope you will now all do the same for one another as we all grieve together during this awful time.”
UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s statement said it was “deeply saddened and shocked” by Thompson’s killing.
“Our hearts go out to Brian’s family and all who were close to him,” the company’s statement said.
UnitedHealthcare has been contacted for comment via email.
Furthermore, it is unlikely that the compensation offered to Thompson’s replacement would be so low given he was one of the company’s highest paid executives.
Thompson had an annual pay package of $10.2 million—including salary, bonus and stock options awards, according to The Associated Press.
CEO and other top executive roles are also rarely advertised by the recruiters who fill the positions.
Companies also usually hire or promote for such roles from within, as Liz Ryan, the CEO and founder of Human Workplace, noted in a LinkedIn post in 2023.
“Very seldom do you see a job ad for a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) job,” Ryan wrote.
“How do companies find CEOs if they don’t advertise for them? Sometimes a new chief executive is already working for the organization, doing another C-level job like running Marketing, Finance or Sales.”
The Ruling
Unverified.
There is no evidence that UnitedHealthcare posted a job ad for the late Brian Thompson’s role of CEO. The viral video making the claim doesn’t offer any evidence to support it, and no such vacancy appears on the company’s website or LinkedIn page.
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