Thursday, September 11, 2025

Charlie Kirk’s murder is the latest violent act to put public-facing leaders on edge

In today’s CEO Daily: Diane Brady on threats to leaders in a violent era.
The big story: Klarna debuts on NYSE and consumer debt worries.
The markets: Up across regions.
Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.

Good morning. I was in Scottsdale yesterday, recording a podcast on site at Deloitte’s Next Generation CEO Program, when news about the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk began to trickle in. We had been talking about the challenge of being a public figure in business or politics these days, the need for visionary and visible leadership, when visibility can come at a price.

Many CEOs have been on high alert since UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down in midtown Manhattan last year while walking to an investor meeting. We’ve seen anger mounting on college campuses—Kirk was speaking at Utah Valley University—along with increased threats to leaders and public calls to violence.

Those realities impact how I report. I’ve been more mindful of my own security since my former colleague Daniel Pearl was murdered in 2002. Gone are the days when terrorists would turn to a journalist to tell their story. Instead of protecting journalists, a press badge can make us a target.

I’m more sensitive to the consequences of my reporting on others, having seen someone fired for a quote that felt mild to me but provocative to his paranoid employer. That’s more a result of experience than caution. I’ve long advised billionaires to stop giving me their kids’ names. I don’t chase down big names for trite quotes that no one needs to read, nor do I dig for details that people have a right to keep private. Conversations about policy are more likely to be off the record in this environment but I’m still clear that my customer is the reader, not the people we cover.

I was once stalked by a man who felt entitled to harass me about something I’d said on early-morning TV. I dismissed him as an eccentric with too much time on his hands until he emailed one day to ask why I’d brought a baby into the office. That baby was mine, and our security team realized he’d been hanging around the lobby. It was a wakeup call about risks, which is sadly bound to be top of mind this morning for any CEO or public figure.

More news below.

Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com

Top news

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