How Executives Should Deal with Heightened Security Risk

In this Issue: How Executives Should Deal with Heightened Security Risk Driving Lyft into the Future Leading the Human-AI Organization New Community of Practice: Building a Time-Smart Organization How Executives Should Deal with Heightened Security Risk A pair of assaults this month on the San Francisco home of Open AI CEO Sam Altman—not to mention the attempted shooting at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner last weekend—has rekindled concerns about executive security. While no one was hurt at the Altman home, these incidents brought to mind the murder in late 2024 of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In each case, the deplorable violence triggered some sympathetic responses online from people who viewed the victims as somehow deserving. Police said the man who threw a molotov cocktail at Altman’s home (the first of the two attacks) was carrying an anti-AI manifesto. For Jack Zahran, the CEO of Pinkerton—the storied detective agency that has evolved into a global security and risk firm—the incidents were almost predictable. “AI has people worried—about job losses, about the fear of becoming obsolete, about the endless building of big data centers,” he says. “It didn’t surprise me that Sam was targeted.” Zahran, who consults companies on their risk profiles, recently added AI to his list of industries that are especially vulnerable to attacks from aggrieved individuals. Others include health care, pharma, and food supply. “When people latch onto the narrative that a company is putting profits over essential human needs, that perception can sometimes trigger action,” he says. The risks aren’t limited just to those industries—or to high-profile CEOs. Zahran estimates that the number of violent actions against executives worldwide has doubled in the past five years. Income disparity, he argues, has exacerbated a sense of haves vs. have-nots and has ratcheted up feelings of desperation and discontent. And technology is making it easier for people to identify where executives live or where they’re flying on their private jets. It’s harder these days for leaders to keep a low profile as they go about their work. Adding security is often a wise course. But being safe requires more than just bringing in armed bodyguards. Zahran counsels firms to do what they can to manage their image and to avoid moves that can unnecessarily trigger anger or violence. Companies of course will sometimes need to make unpopular decisions, like laying off workers. It’s always important to handle such moments with as much humanity as possible. Doing so, Zahran notes, will minimize the risk of an aggressive backlash. Here are Zahran’s other suggestions for enhancing executive security: Get serious about protecting your building. Require credentials for anyone entering the premises, and monitor everyone’s coming and going. Think twice about whether it’s a good idea for senior leaders to be in an open, easily accessible workspace. When traveling, pay attention to regional threat levels. Get whatever info you can from both public and private sources to develop a sophisticated grasp on local risks. Be extra vigilant after a publicized attack in your industry. The initial assault on Altman’s home may well have inspired the second incident, which occurred just three days later. If someone in your industry is targeted, assume that another attack could be imminent. “The copycat dynamic is real,” says Zahran. Monitor your reputation. Use tracking tools to give you an early window on negative sentiment toward your company or industry—bad reviews, hostile rhetoric, and so on—that could possibly presage some sort of incident. Don’t try go it alone. Engage professionals who can create appropriate security protocols for you and your team. And form or join peer groups with other executives to compare notes on how you’re dealing with issues of safety. You can’t eliminate risk, and you probably don’t want to live in a world that’s 100% risk-free. But there are ways to minimize the danger—both by beefing up security as needed, and by doing what you can to manage your perception as a caring, and not cut-throat, institution. Driving Lyft into the Future As the rideshare industry enters a new phase—shaped by autonomous vehicles, AI-driven decision-making, and expanding platform ecosystems—leaders are being forced to rethink not just strategy, but the fundamentals of how value is created. In this replay of my HBR Executive Live conversation with Lyft CEO David Risher, he reflects on what it takes to lead through that kind of transformation. Drawing on lessons from his time at Amazon and Microsoft, Risher describes how he approached turning around a company he believed had “lost its way”—starting with a renewed commitment to customer obsession, a sharper strategic focus, and the willingness to make difficult trade-offs. Watch now. Leading the Human-AI Organization Leadership models are changing as AI reshapes strategy, decision-making, and work itself. As part of HBR’s annual Leadership Summit on May 20, we’ll be hosting a panel discussion exclusively for HBR Executive subscribers that will feature three CHROs sharing how they’re redesigning leadership development for the AI age. Panelists include: Monique Herena, chief colleague experience officer, American Express Daniela Seabrook, chief human resource officer, The Adecco Group Daisy Auger-Domínguez, head of people and workplaces, Digital Asset They’ll explore which new competencies matter most, how to build them at scale, and how to ensure leaders can guide organizations through rapid technological change. They’ll also discuss the biggest cultural barriers they’re facing and how they’re managing resistance. HBR Executive subscribers can register now for this free panel. You can also get 25% off the price of a full ticket to the day-long event, which will also feature CEO interviews, research-based masterclasses, an interactive case study, and more. Register now Building a Time-Smart Organization We’re starting a new community of practice to explore one of the most undervalued strategic resources in modern work: time. Don’t miss this opportunity to join HBS professor Ashley Whillans, who is researching how forward-thinking organizations value time as a strategic organizational benefit, especially as AI changes the structure and pace of work. Over four live sessions in May and June, the community will explore: The business case for time as a strategic benefit AI and the hidden cost of time confetti (the endless interruptions that plague modern work) How organizations can get time rewards right What a time-smart organization looks like in practice Each one-hour session will include a conversation with Whillans, as well as special guests. As a member of this community of practice, you will get exclusive first access to Whillans’ articles and research, as well as several frameworks and tools to help you apply these ideas in your own organization. Your input will also inform the direction of Whillans’ continued writing and research on this crucial topic. This community is open to any CHRO (or equivalent title) who is an HBR Executive member. Interested in joining? Email us: hbrexec@hbr.org

How Executives Should Deal with Heightened Security Risk

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