what we will discuss in this chapter is not whether there is a moral justification for killing a ceo.
that is a question already answered, already forgotten, already stale.
instead, what we must discuss is this:
how should we morally view killing a ceo?
can killing a ceo be morally justified?
more precisely: when a ceo’s decisions directly and irreversibly harm the lives of thousands, can an act like killing them—stigmatized throughout history from holy scriptures to secular law—ever become legitimate?
at first glance, this question might seem akin to the reflexive outrage sparked by questions like “should pedophiles be executed?” but in essence, it belongs to an entirely different plane. pedophilia is an individual perversion; the crime committed by a ceo, however, is systematic, programmatic, and collective violence. here, the perpetrator is not merely an individual but the executor of a system.
let’s be clear: the act of killing, no matter which ethical theory we examine it through, cannot be directly justified. from kant to rawls, from christian morality to secular humanism, the idea of death has always been a red line.
and yes, theoretically, crossing this line is both difficult and unnecessary.
because the issue isn’t really about whether “killing is legitimate.”
the real question is this:
why do we have to kill ceos?
here, “necessity” is not an ethical but a political necessity. these individuals are not just “businesspeople making bad decisions”; they are figures who hold sway over life and death. they are the ones who hoard the formula for a drug, leaving millions to die; who knowingly destroy ecosystems; who control food production and weaponize hunger—all while remaining entirely immune to accountability.
the tyrants of the modern age no longer rule by wielding swords but by holding boardroom meetings.
and throughout history, tyrants have only ever been stopped in one way: by being overthrown.
what we will discuss in this chapter is not whether there is a moral justification for killing a ceo.
that is a question already answered, already forgotten, already stale.
instead, what we must discuss is this:
how is it that these people, responsible for so much death, are still alive?
navigating the moral quagmire of a corporate assassination
brian thompson, ceo of unitedhealth, was shot dead outside the new york hilton midtown on the morning of december 4, 2024. the perpetrator: 26-year-old former data engineer luigi mangione. the act: premeditated. the weapon: a 3d-printed ghost gun. the bullets, inscribed with words: “delay,” “deny,” “displace.” and the question: was this merely a murder, or the belated cry of millions abandoned to death for profit?
this attack was not an isolated act of vengeance against one of america’s largest health insurance companies; it was a steel mirror plunged into the heart of the system. and the mantigoe case, emerging around the same time, is another reflection of that cracked mirror. the lawsuit, which began in kansas in 2023, documented systemic insurance violations that deliberately sabotaged the quality of life for tens of thousands. documents implicating unitedhealthcare revealed how companies maximized profits through algorithmic “risk scoring” that deprived patients of essential services. false statements, deliberately obstructive procedures, and denied critical claims: these may be explained in legal jargon, but the reality behind them was profoundly human—and deadly.
mangione was not outside this system; he was embedded in it, both as a technically skilled engineer and as a chronic pain patient with a slipped spine. after a surfing accident in hawaii in 2022, his escalating pain led him into a process where the insurance company redefined him on paper: first “low risk,” then “unnecessary treatment.” and then: “denied.” his battle with the healthcare system turned into a nightmare of rejected claims and delayed appointments. in his reddit posts, he described the system as “a labyrinth that forces you to die crawling.” this man, who had interned in robotics at johns hopkins and worked on the development team for civilization vi, one day took the theme of “eliminating evil for the greater good” from video games into his own life.
when combined with the mantigoe case, the picture takes on a chilling coherence. here, a lawsuit unearths corporate arrogance with documents; there, an individual tries to physically carve into the system. and both, in the foggy terrain of morality, ask the same question: if a system is slowly killing people, what is the response?
philosophically, this situation reverberates in the darkest corners of moral theory. from a utilitarian perspective, if thompson’s death leads to systemic reforms, the act could be seen as a kind of “necessary evil.” especially if the mantigoe documents prove the system was deliberately built against human lives. but deontology stands firmly against this: the rule is clear—you shall not kill. no matter how “deserving” someone may seem, a human life cannot be reduced to a symbol.
thompson was more than a symbol; he was a person with a family, a life, mistakes, and likely regrets. mangione, meanwhile, was forced into becoming a symbol—an avatar tying personal tragedy to collective rage. and we, the spectators caught in the middle, watch this collision of corporate evil and individual fury. the mantigoe case exposes the system’s crimes through legal means, while mangione’s act turns that exposure into a blood feud, declaring the system’s reckoning overdue.
but let’s not forget: bullets don’t make reforms. breaking glass with a hammer is easy, but building a new window requires more. the man mangione shot may have represented the system, but the system itself still stands. what remains after thompson is not just a widow but a federal prosecution seeking the death penalty for mangione, new police crackdowns on supporters, and tightened corporate security protocols.
mangione’s “avenger” identity doesn’t reflect the full truth. he is a figure oscillating between victim, perpetrator, and symbol. but more importantly, his story shows us that the system is not just a passive error but an active accomplice in crime. combined with the mantigoe documents, it’s no longer just one individual’s tragedy but a portrait of collective moral collapse.
the question is this: after seeing this picture, is it more ethical to stay silent or to speak? the answer isn’t simple. but one thing is certain: in this country, “deny” is no longer just an insurance term; it’s a way of life. and that way of life was pierced by bullets one morning in new york.
CEO Killing Ethics: Navigating the Moral Quagmire
brian thompson’s killing is a bloody revolt against a capitalist system that crushes workers for profit. ceos aren’t just individuals; they’re the enforcers of capital. unitedhealthcare’s algorithmic denials and the mantigoe case documents expose how this system turns healthcare into a death machine. “delay, deny, displace” isn’t just a slogan—it’s the blueprint of a class policy that slowly kills millions.
luigi mangione was both victim and rebel of this system. as an engineer, he understood its gears; as a patient, he felt its blows. his pain, rejected claims, and bureaucratic maze are the textbook alienation and destruction capitalism inflicts on workers. his bullets didn’t just target thompson—they aimed at the bourgeois order. but individual rebellion only rattles the system, it doesn’t topple it. capitalism shields itself with federal prosecutors demanding death penalties, police crackdowns, and corporate security walls.
the mantigoe case rips the system’s crimes open with documents, while mangione’s act is the explosive outburst of pent-up народ anger. both scream the same truth: capitalism grinds human lives for profit and digs its own grave. thompson’s death shows the system’s fragility, but it still stands. the answer isn’t in bullets or lawsuits—it’s in the organized struggle of the working class: unions, people’s movements, socialist reconstruction. the question isn’t reform or revolution—it’s revolution or nothing. “deny” is capitalism’s imposed way of life for workers. it got pierced by bullets one morning in new york, but the revolutionary task is to widen that hole and smash the system to the ground.
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