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Former Haven CEO Atul Gawande. Photo by Kelly Davidson
What’s Ailing an Amazon Health Venture
Two years ago, Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase banded together to use technology to improve health care for their employees while cutting costs. But the company that resulted, Haven, has seen layoffs, a canceled project and the departure of its high-profile leader.
In May, when celebrated surgeon and writer Atul Gawande stepped down as CEO of Haven—a high-profile health care venture launched by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase—he said the move would allow him to focus his energy on combating Covid-19 through policy and advocacy work.
But Gawande left the top job at Haven under pressure following months of escalating tensions with the board of the venture, according to a person familiar with the matter. Conflict over Haven’s priorities and what progress looks like for a secretive startup tasked with revolutionizing the bloated health care industry played a key role in his departure.