George Kurtz, CEO of CrowdStrike Holdings Inc., co-authored a Book which is often known as the Bible of computer security. However, in relation to crisis management, it stands on shakier ground.
In a post on the social media platform X early Friday morning a few botched software update that crashed Kurtz clarified that the incident was not a cyberattack, but that his company had recognized the issue and provided a “solution.” What he didn’t say – at the least not at first – was the magic phrase that PR experts advise all firms to shout out loud in such moments: “I’m sorry.”
Kurtz’s PR mistake, which he later corrected in a television show Look and tracking Testify later that morning, could have several causes, crisis communications experts say. One possible reason is that many details concerning the company’s response were packed into the primary message too quickly. The desire to avoid legal liability may have played a task.
Most likely, nonetheless, this lack of remorse is as a result of the IT sector’s long-standing effort to interact with the general public in a more personal and fewer robotic manner.
“A CEO needs a nuanced and emotionally honest response,” said Davia Temin, founder and CEO of crisis communications firm Temin & Co. “This response has been sanitized by a legal team with a lawsuit in mind. It contains little to no accountability, which is what makes apologies so powerful. And it positions Kurtz almost as an AI voice – automated, soulless. In fact, ChatGPT does a better job of making it seem like it cares than it does.”
CrowdStrike didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on its CEO’s original statement.
Other PR consultants were more generous of their assessment of Kurtz’s handling of the situation, but all agreed that not apologizing initially was not smart. CrowdStrike shares fell greater than 11% – their biggest drop since November 2022.
“The formula is always the same no matter what happens – you start by saying a mistake was made and apologizing,” said Paul Argenti, a professor of corporate communications at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. “That statement he made is the kind of statement you hear from IT people all the time. They don’t think about the human side, they just want to get their job done.”
The early morning post “seems to be aimed at IT departments,” said Ron Culp, a former public relations executive who now advises at DePaul University’s College of Communication. “It’s important to allay fears, start fixing the problem and apologize. All three things should be done in the same communication.”
The mess drew attention to the technology sector’s difficulties in making human connections, but that is nothing recent.
Sitcoms like Silicon Valley and Great Britain The IT crowd have derided technology employees as smug and unworldly. Industry leaders who were good at communicating with the general public, comparable to Apple’s Steve Jobs, have retained these skills despite – or perhaps due to – a Lack of technical knowledge.
When a crisis hits, those lapses develop into much more serious, experts say. But they will not be fatal. Most PR experts gave Kurtz an overall “B” for his response to this point, noting that his later comments were significantly better. And he could also be busy apologizing for some time.
“While I respect George’s instinct to come clean and apologize,” said Morningstar analyst Malik Khan, “the real apology will likely come when customers call.”
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