There’s a new meme going viral across social media related to recent high-profile stories about CEOs – although some users are confused about one particular part of the image circulating online.
Now that a CEO has just stepped down after being caught allegedly having an affair at a Coldplay concert in kiss cam footage gone viral, a wildly viral meme has been generated, reading: “Every summer, fate chooses a CEO for the sacrifice. That is the ritual.”
One tweet has had over 17.8 million views alone, and nearly 700,000 likes already.
But what is it referring to?
Keep reading to find out more…
Although the images differ slightly across versions, the meme generally features a screenshot of four different images: one of Astronomer CEO Andy Byron, who we already know was part of a viral alleged cheating scandal. (Other versions feature images of Coldplay‘s Chris Martin.)
The next image is the OceanGate submersible, which tragically imploded (including the company’s CEO Stockton Rush) on a voyage to the site of the Titanic’s crash back in June of 2023.
There’s also a photo of Luigi Mangione, who is currently on trial for allegedly assassinating UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson in December of 2024.
Finally, there’s a photo of orca whales.
As NBC News reports, since 2020, interactions between orcas and humans has increased.
Despite the attacks on vessels, no human injuries or deaths have been reported. But because the orcas were documented attacking boats like yachts in Spain and Portugal (also known as the Iberian orca attacks), the meme presumes some of those ships are owned by CEOs.
These events did not happen chronologically one after the other each summer (or even during the summer at all), but it has since become a meme nonetheless.
Click here for a complete deep-dive into the Astronomer CEO controversy.
Source: justjared.com