U.K. doctor David Watkins has been a public critic of Babylon Health and its AI technology for years, during which has received anonymous emails from Babylon employees who shared his concerns but feared to speak out publicly. After Babylon collapsed, a former employee publicly declared that the AI engine was indeed faulty. As a longtime skeptic of Babylon’s claims surrounding its technology, Watkins said that Ali Parsa, the company’s CEO, shouldn’t be treated any differently to Elizabeth Holmes.

Here is a selection of recent executive hires, promotions and layoffs occurring across the healthcare industry.

This week, virtual care company Babylon Health permanently closed its U.S. operations and laid off 94 employees. The news came after the company’s rescue merger fell apart — Babylon had planned to go private through a deal with Swiss digital therapeutics firm MindMaze and Babylon creditor AlbaCore Capital.

With the recent disclosure of its Q2 financial results, Teladoc’s losses have swelled to nearly $10 billion in the first half of 2022. Ali Parsa, CEO of competitor Babylon Health, said Teladoc can look at what Amazon did 20 years ago as an example of how to navigate an unforgiving economic environment, recommending the company reorganize its expenditures to ensure capital is allocated to areas that will differentiate it from its competitors.

As it makes a big push to expand in the U.S., digital health startup Babylon struck a deal to go public through a SPAC merger. The deal would value the company at $4.2 billion. 

Babylon Health bought two California-based medical practices as it charts a broader expansion across the U.S. But it’s still facing questions about the safety of its AI chatbot in the U.K., where the company is based. 

Fast growing UK telehealth provider Babylon Health bought a California-based practice as it looks to expand in the U.S. The company has several large contracts, including one to provide telehealth services to the U.K’s National Health Service.

Higi, a company that makes health kiosks for use in grocery stores, raised $30 million in funding from Babylon Health. Read more about companies that raised funding this week.

Babylon Health, a London-based startup, faced concerns raised by an oncologist about results generated by its triage chatbot. The company brushed off the complaints as tests from a “Twitter troll.”

The multinational cohort of investors was led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund and included participation by global reinsurance company Munich Re, Swedish investment firm Kinnevik AB and Vostok New Ventures.

The Royal College of General Practitioners, a membership body for family doctors in the UK and overseas, said it is “dubious” of the London startup’s claims, noting that “[n]o app or algorithm will be able to do what a GP does.”