Bill Ackman's Politics and Playbook

Bill Ackman is a well-known hedge fund manager who has made headlines for his high-profile bets on companies like Herbalife. He's also been involved in politics, particularly in New York City.

Ackman has been a vocal critic of the Herbalife business model, calling it a pyramid scheme. He's also made large bets against other companies, including Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Herbalife.

Bill Ackman has a history of donating to Democratic election candidates, with over $600,000 going to campaigns including those of Barack Obama, Al Gore, and Pete Buttigieg.

Ackman has been a vocal supporter of various high-profile figures on Elon Musk's social-media platform X, including Kyle Rittenhouse, Sam Bankman-Fried, and Elon Musk himself.

He's also repeatedly defended Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s skepticism of vaccines, calling for Harvard to release the names of members of the student organizations behind a letter blaming Israel for Hamas' October attacks.

Ackman has been critical of Harvard president Claudine Gay, his alma mater's first Black president, claiming without evidence that someone with "first-person knowledge" told him Harvard wouldn't consider a candidate for that position who didn't meet Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) criteria.

He's called for Gay, as well as MIT's Sally Kornbluth and the University of Pennsylvania's Liz Magill, to resign in disgrace for a perceived failure to condemn on-campus antisemitism during a congressional hearing in December.

Magill did resign shortly after, and Gay resigned this week, with Ackman posting "One down" on X in response.

Ackman has donated more than $600,000 to Democratic campaigns since 1998, with a notable focus on supporting Barack Obama, Al Gore, and Pete Buttigieg.

He's also donated to several presidential hopefuls, including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Chris Christie, and Vivek Ramaswamy, showing his interest in shaping the Democratic primaries.

In January 2023, Ackman pledged $1 million to support Rep. Dean Phillips in his campaign against President Biden, highlighting his significant financial backing.

Ackman's involvement in politics extends beyond just donations, as seen in his public conversation with Rep. Phillips on X, where he discussed the congressman's campaign and values.

Ackman has been known to influence politicians to revise their stances, as evidenced by his response to a question about Rep. Phillips' "diversity, equity, and inclusion" page, which was later removed from the campaign website.

Bill Ackman's long-standing feud with Herbalife began in 2012 when he publicly accused the company of being a pyramid scheme.

Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management took a significant short position against Herbalife, betting that the company's stock price would drop.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched an investigation into Herbalife in 2012, following Ackman's allegations.

Ackman's efforts led to increased scrutiny of Herbalife's business practices, with some critics labeling the company a pyramid scheme.

The SEC ultimately concluded that Herbalife was not a pyramid scheme, but rather a multi-level marketing company that sold nutrition products.

Ackman's investment in Herbalife ultimately resulted in significant losses for his firm, with the company's stock price rising despite his short position.

Ackman's tenacity has made him a billionaire many times over and also won him fans. He's known for taking on companies that he believes hide their financial woes.

In a notable example, Ackman's fund Pershing Square bought more than 14% of Canadian Pacific Railway's stock in 2011, giving him significant sway. This led to a prolonged battle with the company's executives.

Ackman appealed to other investors with a flurry of presentations and letters, and the company replied in kind. The exchange continued for months, with both sides firing shots at each other.

The relentless pressure eventually led to the resignation of the company's chief executive and several other board members opting not to stand for re-election on May 17, 2012. This was seen as a "boardroom coup" by Reuters.

Bill Ackman has expressed his opinions on various topics, including politics. In 2016, he wrote an op-ed supporting Michael Bloomberg over Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President.

Ackman has also been involved in public debates, including a heated exchange with Joe Biden in 2017. Biden called Ackman an expletive and told him to "just shut the hell up" after a comment by Ackman.

Ackman's views on the COVID-19 pandemic were also notable, as he called for President Donald Trump to shut down the country in March 2020. This move was estimated to have earned Pershing Capital $3.8 billion on trades involving COVID-related market movements.

Here are some key points about Bill Ackman's views:

Bill Ackman's methods are the same, whether he's advocating for corporate governance changes or broader cultural shifts. He writes lengthy public letters to start his campaigns.

Ackman has written three memos to Harvard's governing board since October, which he's shared with his million-plus followers on X. He's also used social media to share his views.

Ackman has been vocal about his criticism of Harvard and other academic institutions, denouncing how they address antisemitism. He's called for Harvard to shutter its Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Ackman believes that academia has lost its way, and he thinks DEI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging) is a major contributor to divisiveness. He's written that "DEI is racist."

Ackman has also been involved in a public feud with Business Insider after they identified a pattern of plagiarism in his wife's academic writings. He's planning to sue the publication and its parent company, Axel Springer.

Bill Ackman's views on politics and social issues are certainly... interesting. In 2016, he wrote an op-ed supporting Michael Bloomberg over Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for President.

Ackman's views on politics have led to some heated exchanges, including one with Joe Biden at a private dinner in 2017. Biden called Ackman an expletive and told him to shut up after a comment that Biden took to be about his late son.

Ackman has also weighed in on the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for President Donald Trump to shut down the country in March 2020. He claimed that without lockdowns, "America will end as we know it", and his firm Pershing Capital made an estimated $3.8 billion on trades involving COVID-related market movements.

Ackman's views on academic integrity are... concerning, to say the least. In January 2024, a report claimed that his wife, professor Neri Oxman, plagiarized her 2010 MIT dissertation by stealing sentences and whole paragraphs from Wikipedia.