OAN’s James Meyers
11:54 AM – Monday, May 6, 2024
Hims & Hers founder and CEO Andrew Dudum walked back his praise of anti-Israel protesters after his firm’s stock value plunged almost $210 million in one single day after he and other executives declared that they were “eager” to hire the protesters.
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Dudum went on X (Twitter) on Sunday to “clarify” his past comments, in which he urged anti-Israel protesters last week to keep up the chaos amid a nationwide wave of violent and chaotic protests that have seen over 2,000 people arrested across multiple universities.
“The last few days have been a disheartening reflection of just how divisive a time we live in. I’d like to clarify a few things because my words have been misconstrued by some,” the Hims & Hers boss tweeted.
“I, in no way condone nor support acts or threats of violence, antisemitism, or intimidation and there is absolutely no justification for violence on our campuses.”
“Every student deserves to feel safe without fear of harm or being targeted for who they are. I am deeply saddened that my support for peaceful protest has been interpreted by some as encouraging violence, intimidation, or bigotry of any kind.”
His apparent change of opinion came after the online sexual health and pharmaceutical company saw its stock plummet by 8% on Friday.
After the initial plunge, the share prices at the company continued to drop in after-hours trading on Friday and Saturday.
Stocks were still down 8% before the markets opened on Monday.
The drop came after Dudum declared that companies would be happy to employ the anti-Israel protesters and he encouraged them to apply at Hims and Hers.
“Moral courage > College degree,” Dudum, who is a Palestinian-American, had tweeted in support of the students.
“If you’re currently protesting against the genocide of the Palestinian people & for your university’s divestment from Israel, keep going. It’s working.”
“There are plenty of companies & CEOs eager to hire you, regardless of university discipline,” Dudum added, alongside a link to job openings at his firm.
In his follow-up X thread on Sunday, Dudum said he believes “deeply in the right for people to use their voices in peaceful protest to drive change.”
“This right is critical to our democracy and must be protected. Our world today is more just because students throughout history have courageously taken to their campuses and used their voices to force change,” he added.
“Generations of Americans have engaged in non-violent protest, and these movements have led to some of the most important changes in our country’s history.”
Meanwhile, other CEOs, such as Bill Ackman, head of Pershing Square Capital Management, was among the first to publicly state that he would not hire students from Harvard who signed a letter purportedly blaming Israel for Hamas’ October 7th terrorist attack on the Jewish State.
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