Forbes December 8, 2024
CEO Andrew Witty makes a critical crisis communication error by dismissing online backlash as noise in a leaked internal video.
The first sign of trouble for UnitedHealth Group wasn’t the tragic shooting of its executive Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan last week. That was a heartbreaking event. The actual corporate crisis began with the groundswell of anger directed at the health insurance giant on social media.
As thousands of negative comments flooded platforms, the focus quickly shifted from the search for Thompson’s killer to the public’s extreme frustration with insurers like UnitedHealthcare. While UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty hasn’t spoken publicly since the tragedy, he did address his staff in an internal video.
Reading from what appeared to be prepared...
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