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A shooting in New York City’s Midtown neighborhood shocked working Manhattanites on Monday evening. The shooter, who police identified as 27-year-old Shane Tamura, killed four—including a Blackstone executive and an NYPD officer who was working security in the building—before taking his own life.
Here’s what we know about the Blackstone executive: Wesley LePatner was the CEO of the Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust (BREIT), the company’s real estate fund that totals more than $53 billion in property. LePatner joined the firm in 2014 after working for more than a decade at Goldman Sachs.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the shooter was likely targeting the offices of the National Football League, which share a building with Blackstone.
It’s not the first corporate shooting in the streets of Manhattan in recent memory. In December, UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson was shot outside a company meeting.
That shooting led a number of companies to increase private security for their executives, with many security firms seeing an influx of business requests from the ultra-wealthy. Some are also scrubbing executives’ personal information from the internet, using online services to remove phone numbers, addresses and children’s names, according to DeleteMe CEO Rob Shavell.
Now onto the rest of this week’s news.
WORK SMARTER
Practical insights and advice from Forbes staff and contributors to help you succeed in your job, accelerate your career and lead smarter.
How to decide whether you should go freelance or wait for a full-time job after getting laid off.
If you love your industry but feel stuck in your current position, here’s how to transition into another role.
Interns: Don’t forget to say thank you as your program comes to an end. And if you’re negotiating your first full-time offer, here’s how to do so without settling for less.
TOUCH BASE
News from the world of work.
Inflation is outpacing earnings for almost half of Americans, according to Indeed. While purchasing power increased for a majority of U.S. residents last year, low- and middle-income earners are suffering the most.
Jean Hynes started her career at Wellington Management as an administrative assistant after graduating from college in 1991. Now, she’s CEO of the $1.2 trillion asset manager and is heading the company as it partners with Blackstone to bring private assets to the masses.
Federal workers will now be allowed to discuss and promote their religion in the workplace and challenge the “correctness” of religious views held by others, according to a new memo. It’s a sharp departure from previous policies regarding religious freedom among federal staff, though it’s unclear if the memo will be challenged in court.
An Arizona woman was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for her role in helping North Korean remote workers pose as Americans in order to work for U.S. businesses, generating over $17 million to contribute to the North Korean weapons program.
Shake Shack’s founder is now a billionaire, thanks mainly to the fast food chain’s strong financials and rapid expansion. But before he started the joint known for its burgers, shakes and crinkle-cut fries, Danny Meyer started Union Square Cafe and made a name in fine dining.
Astronomer’s chief people officer Kristin Cabot resigned last week after a video of her embracing former CEO Andy Byron at a Coldplay concert went viral. Just two days later, the company posted a video announcing Gwentyh Paltrow as a “temporary spokesperson.”
NUMBER TO NOTE
33%
That’s how many new CEOs in the first six months of the year started on an interim basis, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That’s up from 9% in 2023 and 2024.
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KID78tyy_lw
Meet The Former Electrical Engineer Student Now Known As The Best-Dressed Man On TikTok
QUIZ
What do C-suite executives debate the most, according to a new survey from Forbes Research?
A. Return-to-office mandates
B. Technology investments
C. Management philosophy
D. Communications and PR strategy
Check if you got it right here.