Patrick McMullan via Getty Images; Slaven Vlasic via Getty Images
- Bill Ackman has won himself a new ally in his crusade against on-campus antisemitism.
- Fellow billionaire Elon Musk has taken Ackman's side in the ongoing debate.
- Musk joins other business executives such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in condemning antisemitism.
Bill Ackman really loves posting on X, formerly Twitter.
Besides being a prolific user, Ackman has been using the platform to wage a pressure campaign against US colleges and their approach toward on-campus antisemitism.
The fund manager used to the platform when he wanted to publish three open letters on the subject to his alma mater, Harvard.
And now he's earned a brand new ally in the form of the platform's owner, Elon Musk.
Musk throws his hat into the ring
Musk started showing his support for Ackman this week.
On Monday, Musk called for Harvard's defunding, saying it "is the only thing that will work" to fix what he thinks is wrong with the college, amid a roiling controversy surrounding its president, Claudine Gay.
Gay's critics have called for her resignation following her controversial testimony at last week's congressional hearing on on-campus antisemitism. The Harvard president had been slammed for not unequivocally condemning the genocide of Jews during the hearing. This was despite being repeatedly asked if such rhetoric would violate the school's rules on bullying and harassment.
Musk repeated his suggestion to defund Harvard when he replied to a post by Ackman on the same day. Ackman then reposted Musk's response.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 12, 2023
That wasn't all. Musk then praised Ackman's latest open letter to Harvard, which had called for Gay's resignation.
"Your letter simply articulated, with great clarity, the severe concerns held by many," Musk wrote on Monday.
Ackman himself has endured criticism from Gay's defenders, who have accused the billionaire of being racist by going after her.
"Now I am a white supremacist apparently," Ackman wrote on X on Thursday.
"Those are standard ad hominems. Par for the course. Not even creative," Musk replied.
The feelings are mutual
Musk's support for Ackman comes after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO was accused of being antisemitic himself. Musk did apologize after being called out for endorsing an X post that his critics said was antisemitic.
It could also be Musk's way of expressing his gratitude to Ackman. Ackman defended Musk in a lengthy X post on December 1, calling Musk a "free speech absolutist" he respected.
"After examining the facts, it was clear to me that Musk did not have antisemitic intent when he responded with the 'actual truth' tweet, and further clarified thereafter," Ackman wrote, referencing the controversial post that Musk had been accused of endorsing.
CEOs v Harvard
Whatever his reasons, Musk seems to agree with Ackman's stance in the ongoing debate about antisemitism in the US.
This makes Musk one of the several business executives who have spoken out on the issue. He joins and lends strength to a growing chorus of high-profile voices asserting pressure on Harvard and other US colleges.
Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he'd underestimated just how bad antisemitism had gotten in the US.
"I still don't understand it, really. Or know what to do about it. But it is so fucked," Altman wrote in a post on X.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on December 6 that he was disappointed to hear the congressional testimonies by Gay and other college presidents.
"In my personal opinion, it was one of the most despicable moments in the history of US academia," Bourla wrote on X.
The unrelenting pressure from big fish in the business world could threaten colleges that rely heavily on donations to fund their endowments.
And this pressure appears to have made an impact at the University of Pennsylvania. Musk's alma mater gave their president, Liz Magill. the boot after calls from the business school's advisory board and megadonors like Jon Huntsman Jr.
For now, Harvard has chosen to keep Gay as their president.
But it remains to be seen how long they can keep things up if billionaires — and their powerful friends — start to put their money where their mouths are.
Representatives for Ackman and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
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