The targeted murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December 2024 sent shockwaves through the business world, prompting a cascade of security concerns that have rippled far beyond the healthcare sector. As companies scrambled to reassess the safety of their top executives, the chilling aftereffects of Thompson’s killing became evident in both the boardroom and the headlines, with high-profile threats, increased security budgets, and a wave of anxiety sweeping through corporate America.
According to reporting by Financial Times, the business response to Thompson’s murder was swift and expensive. Major corporations, especially in the technology sector, ramped up security spending for their leaders, fearing that the violence which claimed Thompson’s life could foreshadow broader risks for prominent executives. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, led the pack in 2024, spending an eye-popping $27 million to protect CEO Mark Zuckerberg—an increase of more than $3 million over the previous year. The company’s 2025 proxy statement offered a candid explanation: “We believe that Mr. Zuckerberg’s role puts him in a unique position: He is synonymous with Meta and, as a result, negative sentiment regarding our company is directly associated with, and often transferred to, Mr. Zuckerberg.”
But Meta wasn’t alone in boosting its security budget. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, spent $6.8 million to protect CEO Sundar Pichai, while Coinbase dedicated $6.2 million to safeguard CEO Brian Armstrong. Nvidia, another tech giant, increased its spending to $3.5 million for CEO Jensen Huang, up from $2.2 million in 2023. Even Apple, which saw a decrease in its numbers, still spent $1.4 million on CEO Tim Cook’s protection. Amazon allocated $1.1 million for CEO Andy Jassy and $1.6 million for Jeff Bezos, maintaining a steady level for over a decade.
Other companies, such as Palo Alto Networks and JPMorgan Chase, reported security expenditures of $1.6 million and $882,000 for their respective CEOs in 2024. Notably, the number of S&P 500 companies offering executive security rose to 34.4% in 2024, up from 28.2% the previous year, with median spending climbing 6% to an average of $105,749. The message was clear: in the wake of Thompson’s murder, corporate America was taking no chances.
Yet, the heightened security wasn’t just about deterring hypothetical risks. The aftermath of Thompson’s killing saw real, targeted threats against those connected to him. As reported by the Times Union, Shane E. Daley, a medical assistance specialist with the New York Department of Health, was arrested on August 13, 2025, for leaving a series of threatening voicemail messages for Paulette Thompson, the widow of the slain CEO. Daley, 40, was charged with cyberstalking—a felony carrying up to five years in prison—after leaving four disturbing messages on Paulette Thompson’s work phone in December 2024. The first three were left just hours after Brian Thompson was gunned down on a Manhattan sidewalk, with a fourth coming days later.
The content of Daley’s messages was deeply unsettling. According to a federal criminal complaint filed by an FBI special agent, Daley urged Paulette Thompson to tell her children that their father was a “capitalist pig” and that they “all deserve to f----ing die and burn in hell.” Investigators traced the calls to Daley’s mobile phone, using GPS data to place him near his residence in Saratoga County at the time of the threats. The threats didn’t stop there; Daley allegedly sent an email threatening to shoot federal immigration agents in Saratoga Springs, writing, “if someone in a mask without proper law enforcement identification aggressively approaches me anywhere (in) Saratoga Springs, they better have their affairs in order as they’re going to catch two slugs in the groin and one in the neck from a legally owned firearm.” The email went on, “if you want shootouts in your city, feel free to continue doing nothing. But I’d rather leave in a body bag then in cuffs, so consider the above message. Hope no one catches a stray!”
After his arrest, federal probation officers found a loaded shotgun, marijuana, a nitrous oxide container, and empty beer cans at Daley’s home. Court records revealed that Daley struggled with alcohol, drug use, and significant mental health issues. Although he had attempted to seek treatment, he was not under the care of any provider at the time of his arrest. A federal magistrate ordered Daley to remain in custody, citing him as a “risk of flight and/or a danger to the community,” but later authorized his transfer to a private addiction treatment facility for a 28-day program, with electronic monitoring in place.
The New York Department of Health, which had hired Daley in January 2024, placed him on administrative leave following his arrest. “This alleged behavior in no way reflects the department’s values or mission,” stated Cadence Acquaviva, a department spokeswoman, in comments to the Times Union. “We condemn hate speech, harassment of victims of a senseless crime and any threats of violence.”
The murder of Brian Thompson itself was a flashpoint, drawing intense public reactions and exposing deep-seated frustrations with the healthcare industry. Luigi Mangione, 27, was charged with Thompson’s murder and now faces the death penalty in a case being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan. Mangione allegedly shot Thompson in the back outside a midtown hotel on West 54th Street on December 4, 2024. When Mangione was arrested five days later in Pennsylvania, authorities discovered a notebook containing handwritten passages expressing hostility toward the health insurance industry and wealthy executives. One entry, dated August 15, 2024, read, “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box.”
Following Mangione’s arrest, online forums lit up with messages of support for him from individuals who were critical of the health care industry, many recounting their own struggles with UnitedHealthcare and other providers. The incident highlighted the extent of public anger toward insurance companies and the sometimes perilous position of their executives. As the Financial Times noted, this surge in hostility—both online and in real-world threats—has forced companies to reconsider the risks their leaders face, not just from disgruntled customers or activists, but from individuals willing to act on their grievances in dangerous ways.
Security for tech leaders, too, has become a subject of public fascination and debate. Elon Musk, perhaps the most polarizing of today’s CEOs, is a case in point. Tesla, the only one of Musk’s companies required to disclose figures, reported spending $500,000 on his protection in 2024, down from $2.4 million in 2023. The true extent of Musk’s security arrangements remains murky, as his other ventures, SpaceX and xAI, are private and do not disclose such data. Musk also owns Foundation Security, described as a mini Secret Service and partly run by a former Army Special Forces weapons sergeant. Musk himself has spoken openly about the dangers he faces, telling shareholders last year, “We actually did have two homicidal maniacs in the last roughly seven months come to aspirationally try to kill me.”
As the number of businesses protecting their CEOs continues to grow, the line between corporate leadership and personal risk has never felt thinner. The murder of Brian Thompson and the subsequent threats against his widow have become a grim touchstone for an era in which the personal safety of executives is no longer a private concern, but a public—and costly—imperative.
For the companies on the front lines, the lesson is clear: the stakes have changed, and the cost of leadership now includes not only the balance sheet, but the very real risks that come with being the face of a controversial industry.
