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Disgraced techbro launches app to 'hasten the coming of Christ's return'

The former CEO of Intel is now rolling out an artificial intelligence-powered app aimed at churches and faith communities — and is being particularly open about what's motivating him.

The Guardian reported Tuesday that Pat Gelsinger — who led Intel between 2021 and 2024 before he was forced out after being sued by shareholders — is heavily promoting his evangelical philosophy as the head of tech company Gloo. In March of this year, Gelsinger took the helm of Gloo, which is a combination AI chatbot and workspace platform for churches. Gloo boasts that it serves more than 140,000 "faith, ministry and nonprofit leaders."

Gelsinger, who is a born-again Christian, said he was passionate about combining AI with his Christian values, and said Gloo was his opportunity to develop a large language model (LLM) infused with fundamentalist Christian theology.

"My life mission has been [to] work on a piece of technology that would improve the quality of life of every human on the planet and hasten the coming of Christ’s return," Gelsinger said.

Gizmodo's A.J. Dellinger wrote Tuesday that Gelsinger's quote about the second coming of Christ is particularly alarming, as it "would spell the end of the humanity, which would not be great for every human on the planet."

"Luckily, Gelsinger’s attempts to expedite the second coming via selling churches on a chatbot subscription or whatever are probably no more likely to be a conduit to the End Times than those TikTokers predicting the Rapture," Dellinger quipped.

The former Intel CEO's forced retirement in 2024 came despite the semiconductor industry experiencing a boom in previous years. Intel's performance in the industry was lackluster in comparison to competitors like Nvidia and AMD. Just before Gelsinger was driven out of his role, Intel had laid off roughly 15,000 people, making up about 15 percent of its workforce.

Click here to read the Guardian's full report.

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Disney shareholders give CEO an ultimatum on Jimmy Kimmel — and hire lawyer who beat Trump

Disney is facing pressure from a group of its own shareholders over the brief suspension of late-night host Jimmy Kimmel last week, Semafor reported Wednesday.

In a letter to the company, lawyers representing the American Federation of Teachers, Reporters Without Borders and other shareholder groups demanded access to board records tied to the decision.

“Although we are pleased that ABC did the right thing and put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air last night, due to the Trump administration’s continued threats to free speech, including with respect to ABC, we are writing to seek transparency into the initial decision to suspend him and his show,” the letter read.

“There is a credible basis to suspect that the Board and executives may have breached their fiduciary duties of loyalty, care, and good faith by placing improper political or affiliate considerations above the best interests of the Company and its stockholders," it added.

The letter argues that investors deserve to know whether Disney’s leaders mishandled their responsibilities when they pulled Kimmel’s show after conservative backlash, per the report.

The report noted that the groups are represented by several attorneys including Roberta Kaplan, who previously sued President Donald Trump on behalf of E. Jean Carroll. They warned that if Disney fails to comply within five business days, they will take the company to court.

The suspension followed Kimmel’s remarks about the alleged shooter of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. Critics said Disney’s response signaled weakness on free-speech issues, while some Hollywood figures threatened to cut ties with the company. The controversy coincided with a loss of more than $4 billion in Disney’s market value.

According to the report, the shareholders are asking for documents showing how the suspension may have affected revenue, policies guiding decisions on “politically sensitive programming,” and contracts with affiliate networks Nexstar and Sinclair, whose blackout threats reportedly triggered the move.

They also want board-level emails, including those involving CEO Bob Iger, as well as any communications with government or political groups.

Under Delaware law, shareholders can request “books and records” to investigate possible misconduct, though access typically extends only to board-level matters and not routine management decisions.

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'Brazenly trying to capitalize': UnitedHealth accuses newspaper of exploiting CEO's murder

UnitedHealthcare has filed a defamation lawsuit against The Guardian following a May 21 story alleging that the company secretly paid nursing homes to reduce hospital transfers, potentially compromising resident health, Semafor reported Wednesday.

The report claimed that UnitedHealthcare's actions were part of cost-cutting measures that saved the company millions but at times risked residents' health.

UnitedHealthcare reportedly alleged in the lawsuit that The Guardian intentionally disseminated false information and sought to exploit media attention surrounding the murder of its former CEO, Brian Thompson, in New York City in December.

The health insurance company further accused the publication of cropping screenshots quoted in the article and misrepresenting the email.

"The Guardian knew these accusations were false, but published them anyway, brazenly trying to capitalize on the tragic and shocking assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s then-CEO, Brian Thompson,” the complaint says, per Semafor.

UnitedHealthcare has enlisted the defamation-focused law firm Clare Locke for the lawsuit.

Meanwhile, The Guardian told Semafor that its reporting is substantiated by documented evidence and on-the-record lawsuits and it stands by its coverage despite the lawsuit.

“The Guardian stands by its deeply-sourced, independent reporting, which is based on thousands of corporate and patient records, publicly filed lawsuits, declarations submitted to federal and state agencies, and interviews with more than 20 current and former UnitedHealth employees — as well as statements and information provided by UnitedHealth itself over several weeks,” a spokesperson said, per Semafor.

“It’s outrageous that in response to factual reporting on the practice of secretly paying nursing homes to reduce hospitalizations for vulnerable patients, UnitedHealth is resorting to wildly misleading claims and intimidation tactics via the courts," the statement added.

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'Very disturbing': CEO shooting suspect shouts message to media as police rush him into court

On Tuesday, 26 year-old Luigi Mangione – who New York City authorities have charged in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson – used the scant few seconds he was in front of reporters to attempt to send a message to viewers.

In the video aired by CNN, a police SUV transporting Mangione is seen stopping outside of the Blair County Courthouse in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. Police let the alleged shooter out on the side of the vehicle away from assembled reporters, and quickly rushed him from the vehicle to the courthouse entrance. As Mangione was being hustled into the building, he was heard shouting the words "completely unjust," "an insult to the intelligence of the American people" and "lived experience."

CNN host Briana Keilar pointed out that if Mangione is indeed the shooter, the messages he left on shell casings found at the scene of Thompson's murder, and the manifesto that authorities found on his person at the time he was arrested suggest that he was "on a mission." And trial attorney Mercedes Colwin opined that "outbursts" like the one outside the courthouse "will certainly be evaluated by his defense team, because that's just not normal."

"We've already had reports that he has been very strange since over the summer, that he has become reclusive," Colwin said. "This manifesto, these [are] rantings and ravings of an individual that obviously has some aberrant thoughts in his mind, and that's why he put it down on paper. So all of that is certainly very disturbing."

"The defense is going to have to evaluate whether this is an individual that really will even understand the charges," she continued. "I mean, they may, depending on how aberrant his thoughts are... And if there's some indication that he isn't able to do so, there might have to be some psychological evaluation."

According to Mangione's resume, he has both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania, which is an Ivy League school. He also comes from a wealthy family in Maryland with multiple valuable real estate assets. In the manifesto authorities found, he described health insurance companies as "parasitic." He is expected to be extradited to New York, where he will then be formally arraigned on five charges, including murder.

Last week, a gunman wearing a mask and a hoodie shot the CEO of UnitedHealthcare outside of his hotel. The shooter made their escape on a bike, where they rode to Central Park and then boarded a bus out of the city. Mangione was arrested at a McDonalds in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday after an employee alerted police.

Watch the video of the CNN segment below, or at this link.

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'People don’t care': Popular internet sleuths deny NYPD’s request to track down CEO shooter

The New York Police Department (NYPD) is crowd-sourcing their investigation into the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson to the general public after two days with no positive ID on the shooter. But they may not get much help from the internet, according to multiple popular TikTok sleuths.

NBC News reported that law enforcement is banking on the American public helping them identify the man seen in new photos released this week, which show the alleged assassin lowering his mask while flirting with a hostel concierge. Those are currently the only photos of the alleged killer in which his mask isn't concealing his face, and law enforcement veterans have called them a "turning point" in the investigation.

But Savannah Sparks — who has 1.3 million TikTok followers and is known for helping track down perpetrators of racist and hateful attacks — was unequivocal in her refusal to help find Thompson's murderer. Thompson told NBC she was "pretty apathetic" about the ongoing manhunt, and that her impression of the online sleuthing community's current mood was: "[C]oncepts of thoughts and prayers."

"It’s, you know, claim denied on my prayers there," Sparks said, with a tongue-in-cheek reference to health insurance industry lingo.

According to NBC, Sparks (who holds a doctorate of pharmacy and works in the healthcare industry as a lactation consultant) has been called on by law enforcement in the past to assist with training officers on how to track down suspects online. But she said that in this particular case, she has zero interest in helping the NYPD.

"Absolutely the f— not," she said.

Michael McWhorter, who is "TizzyEnt" on TikTok and has more than 6.7 million followers, observed that he hadn't seen the same drumbeat from the public to find Thompson's killer that he's seen in past cases involving "blatant violence." He opined that investigators may be underestimating "how much people don’t care." And Swarthmore College assistant professor of computer science Sukrit Venkatagiri said it's possible that some internet sleuths "don’t really empathize with who the victim is in this scenario."

"People are less motivated, from an altruistic perspective, to help this victim in this specific case," he said, noting that the victim in question was the multimillion-dollar CEO of a Fortune 500 health insurance company.

One person who helped police was software engineer Riley Walz, who obtained data from the Citibike station used by the alleged shooter after the murder. Some social media users called him a "snitch," according to NBC. McWhorter said those who help police being ganged up on could discourage others from helping to identify the shooter. But he said it's possible that apathy could play a larger role.

"There’s this weird thing, this vibe of like, I don’t see a bunch of people just feeling an urgency," he said.

Click here to read NBC's report in its entirety.

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'Turning point': New photos released of alleged shooter in health insurance CEO’s slaying

The New York Police Department (NYPD) has released two new photos of the shooter allegedly responsible for the murder of UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan earlier this week.

On Thursday, MSNBC vice president of editorial and booking Jesse Rodriguez tweeted the photos, which show the alleged gunman with his mask down at the check-in desk of a youth hostel in Manhattan's Upper West Side. In one photo, the alleged shooter is seen smiling from the side, and in the other photo he is looking forward. While the photos show him wearing the same coat, he is only wearing the backpack he had on during the shooting of Thompson in the right-hand photo.

In an interview with CNN host Pamela Brown, John Miller — the network's chief law enforcement analyst — said the photos represent a "turning point" in the investigation as they reveal the face of "the man behind the mask." Miller noted that the alleged killer stayed in a room with two other men on Tuesday and Wednesday, which seemed to dispel theories that the man was a native New Yorker.

"He kept the jacket on and the hood up and the mask up almost at all times, according to people in that hostel. But there was this moment at the front desk in the lobby when the mask came down, and you see that smile," Miller said. "It's an image that, if you knew him — a coworker, a friend, a family member — you would say, 'that's so-and-so."

Video of the shooting shows the gunman using a pistol with a silencer to shoot Thompson in the back outside of the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan early Wednesday morning. At one point, the gun jammed, though the shooter was seen calmly fixing the weapon before firing again as Thompson fell on the sidewalk. Investigators say the shooter wrote the words "delay," "deny" and "depose" on shell casings left at the scene. This is assumed to be a reference to the health insurance industry's slogan: "Delay, deny and defend."

This may suggest a motive behind the shooting. UnitedHealth leads the health insurance industry in claim denials at 32%, which is twice the industry average of 16%. In 2023, Arstechnica reported that UnitedHealth used artificial intelligence with an error rate of approximately 90% to issue denials.

After the murder, the alleged shooter fled the murder scene through an alley, then rode a Citibike to Central Park. He remains at large, and Miller said the NYPD was essentially "crowdsourcing" the investigation to enlist the help of the general public in identifying the person seen on the hostel's surveillance camera.

Watch the video of Miller's analysis below, or by clicking this link.

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CEO’s murder provokes 'dark' humor in response to America’s 'dysfunctional healthcare system'

In the early morning hours of Wednesday, December 4, 2024, UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead by a masked gunman who remains at large. On social media, his murder was met not with an outpouring of mourning, but ridicule.

In an article published by Science publication Futurism, writer Victor Tangermann explored the "incredibly dark" responses to Thompson's killing on platforms like X and Bluesky. He noted that many of the responses were "gallows humor" that were both "simultaneously ghoulish" yet also "illustrative of America's profoundly dysfunctional medical system."

"Rotating Sandwiches" meme creator Lauren Walker wrote on Bluesky: "[A]ll human life is sacred, so it's not proper to laugh when serious harm befalls someone," she wrote. "[T]he moral thing to do is instead charge them hundreds of thousands of dollars."

"Our apologies, but bullet wounds are only covered under our platinum+ package," one user wrote in response.

Many of the memes circulating in response to Thompson's murder invoke the cold nature of the private health insurance industry, in which an insured's claim can be denied even if it's for filling a prescription for medication prescribed by their doctor or for treatment necessary to save someone's life. LendingTree's ValuePenguin wrote that UnitedHealth is the worst offender, denying roughly one-third of all in-network claims (32%), which is double the industry average of 16%.

UnitedHealth has also been accused in a lawsuit of using artificial intelligence (AI) to deny claims filed by Medicare Advantage patients. The plaintiffs claim that the company had knowledge that the AI it was using "had a high potential for error," and that UnitedHealth employees were pressured by supervisors to use the algorithm to issue denials. They were also reportedly told to keep patient stays within 1% of the length of stay predicted by the AI.

The New York Post recently reported that Thompson and several UnitedHealth executives were under investigation by the Department of Justice for alleged insider trading. Thompson and three others allegedly sold more than $101 million in shares before news of the investigation was announced, which resulted in the company's stock price declining. Thompson himself reportedly made $15 million on the sale.

Click here to read Futurism's article in its entirety.

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How the Demise of the Trump Administration Could Finally Kill the White House CEO Fantasy

If you were wondering exactly how Anthony “The Mooch” Scaramucci was able to weasel his way into the White House, you have to recall that he wasn’t only a Donald Trump sycophant; he was also touted as a businessman who could “fix” problems career politicians couldn’t. This is the guy who asked Barack Obama what he planned to do about the way that Wall Streeters were being treated like piÃ±atas during a town hall in 2010. And it is the same guy who dropped $100,000 to appear in the sequel to Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street,” the film that brought us Gordon Gekko and his famous line, “Greed is good.”

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