New allegations of questionable behavior by Athenahealth Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Bush are emerging as the health technology executive attempts to fend off a takeover proposal from an activist investor.
In the past week, Bush has apologized for assaulting his ex-wife, and public records have surfaced alleging that he subjected a female employee to what she described as a “sexually hostile environment.”
Now more examples of potentially inappropriate behavior by Bush have emerged.
A 2017 video clip seen by Bloomberg of Bush at a health-care industry event features the CEO dressed up as a race car driver, pretending to be the title character from the 2006 comedy “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” and at times reading from a cue card.
Midway through the skit, he says he wants to “jump down on’’ one of his female employees “and do inappropriate things.” He then briefly pauses. “Uh, but obviously that’s totally inappropriate and would never happen or be said on a microphone.” The exact context of the remarks isn’t clear.
The company is facing a takeover attempt by the hedge fund Elliott Management Corp., which has cited Athenahealth’s poor management as one reason for its underperformance. The company, which makes an online platform doctors use to manage their practices, so far hasn’t bowed to Elliott’s proposal to buy it for $160 a share.
Athenahealth’s annual meeting of shareholders is scheduled for Wednesday, and the allegations from Bush’s past may present a challenge for the 49-year-old CEO, co-founder of the company and nephew of former President George H.W. Bush.
2007 Complaint
Bloomberg also obtained a 2007 complaint filed by a female Athenahealth employee with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, a state body that investigates discrimination complaints.
The woman, who according to the complaint worked as a manager for Athenahealth, alleged that she was wrongly terminated and was told she was “destructive to the team,” despite being given positive performance reviews. In the complaint, she said Bush “engaged in highly inappropriate conduct regarding a female employee at an awards banquet in or around early 2005.”
Attempts to reach the woman who filed the complaint were unsuccessful, and the complaint was withdrawn with a note saying that the woman intended to refile it in civil court. It wasn’t immediately clear if she did so.