Luigi Mangione has been the subject of headlines ever since being accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The incident has sparked widespread debate, with some viewing Mangione as a hero and others denouncing his alleged crime.
A few days after Thompson’s shooting death, several “Wanted” posters appeared on the streets of New York, targeting distinguished CEOs. Some had the words “deny,” “defend,” and “depose” written on them, which were the same words found on the bullet casings discovered at the scene of Thompson’s death. Authorities are looking into it and investigating who was responsible for putting the posters up, but the greater fear is that it may inspire copycats to go after the mentioned CEOs.
The “Wanted” posters spread on social media, and many shared their thoughts about CEOs they don’t particularly like. One TikTok user, however, went the opposite route and uploaded a video about which CEOs he deemed “safe” from backlash. In the video, user Ajeet Mann (@spacemann11) is in his loungewear sitting on a couch while sipping a drink. The text on the video reads, “Arizona Tea CEO.” He then looks off-camera and waves, and the video cuts to Ajeet sitting on a chair with a drink waving back. This time, the text reads, “Costco CEO.” He captioned the post, “the good ones.”
Thousands shared their thoughts in the comments section to share their opinions. One agreed with Ajeet and wrote, “They sleeping cozy at night,” while another said, “Not just safe, protected.” Others shared their favorite CEOs and the companies they helm, with Ben & Jerry’s, Arizona Beverage Company, and Patagonia being the most mentioned. Businessman Mark Cuban was also pointed out many times.
In June this year, Arizona Beverage Company founder and chairman Don Vultaggio talked about how he’s able to maintain the 99-cent price of his product. “We make it faster. We ship it better. We ship it closer. The cans are thinner,” he answered. Vultaggio explained that there was no need to change something when it had been effective for decades. And despite not increasing their prices, the company is turning massive profits.
What resonated with viewers in the interview was when Vultaggio said, “Why have people who are having a hard time paying their rent pay more for their drink? Maybe it’s my little way of giving back.” In a separate interview in 2022, Vultaggio said that it doesn’t mean he will never raise prices, but he won’t do it unless it’s absolutely necessary. “We’re going to fight as hard as we can for consumers, because consumers are my friend,” he added.
Mark Cuban, meanwhile, launched an online pharmacy, Cost Plus Drugs, in 2022 with the goal of providing the public generic drugs at the most affordable prices. He stresses the importance of radical transparency and grew his business out of trust. “That transparency built trust among our customers, who in turn felt confident recommending us to their doctors and others they knew who were on medications,” he stated. These CEOs demonstrate how businesses can succeed by balancing the interests of owners and consumers, ensuring a mutually beneficial outcome where everyone wins.