Hims CEO walks back his support of college campus protesters after widespread boycott that tanked shares by 10%

The CEO of Hims has withdrawn his support from anti-Israel campus protesters after the male hair loss company’s shares fell 10 percent following a boycott sparked by his comments.

Andrew Dudum, who identifies as Palestinian-American, clarified his previous comments offering jobs to the university protesters, saying his words “may be misinterpreted by some.”

He wrote on Sunday on interpreted as encouraging violence, intimidation or bigotry of any kind.

“I believe deeply in people’s right to use their voices in peaceful protest to create change. This right is crucial to our democracy and must be protected. Generations of Americans have engaged in nonviolent protest.

“As a father whose children are both descendants of Palestinian refugees who fled the Nakba in 1948 and descendants of Holocaust survivors from Poland, as I have previously shared, I have a personal appreciation for the different perspectives through which people live. daily at my dining room table. I hope and pray for peace and an end to violence everywhere.”

Dudum’s clarification comes after critics unleashed a boycott of the company, which has seen its shares fall more than 10 percent in the past five days.

Its shares fell 8 percent on Friday, wiping out nearly $210 million in stock value in just one day.

The CEO previously said of the protests: “Moral courage > College degree,” the CEO, 35, wrote on Wednesday. “If you are currently protesting the genocide of the Palestinian people and the divestment of your university from Israel, then continue. It functions. There are plenty of companies and CEOs who would like to hire you, regardless of the university discipline.’

The significant drop came just two days after Dudum’s controversial post — which immediately sparked backlash — though it’s unclear whether the recent drop is directly related to that.

The 10 percent price drop comes amid a 14 percent downtrend since May 1, when the price was $13.10.

The company’s chief legal officer had also arranged a $31,000 share sale in September, which took effect on May 1 – which could explain why investors have since been withdrawing shares from the company.

Last week, conservative writer Ben Domenech wrote about Dudum: “If you support Israel, cancel your HIMS subscriptions immediately. You can get similar products cheaper elsewhere.’

Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of software company Palantir Technologies, also said, “True moral courage doesn’t mean joining a mindless gang, calling out anti-American and other people who wake up Pablum, and following instructions not to debate or discuss your views. yet they are all indignantly righteous, while large numbers of people in the crowd shout for violence and hold back Jewish students.”

Many pointed out that Dudum may be harming the interests of shareholders who may disagree with him, since HIMS is a publicly traded company.

Others shared screenshots of their subscription cancellations, with one X user writing the reason: “Your CEO supports Hamas.”

Dudum, who said he has family in Gaza and the West Bank, founded HIMS in 2017.

In his comments on Sunday, Dudum referred to a blog post he posted in November in which he called for a ceasefire and complained that businesses were still supporting Israel after the counterattack had already killed an estimated 10,000 Palestinians.

“Now, a month after the October 7 attack, we find ourselves in a world where Israel has killed an estimated 10,000 Palestinians and more than 4,000 innocent children in a military response that almost all international experts label as violations of international law and human rights’ Dudum wrote.

And the messages of unequivocal support for Israel are still on our corporate pages – untouched or updated.”

In the Medium post, Dudum described himself as “a father whose children are both descendants of Palestinian refugees who fled the Nakba in 1948 and descendants of Holocaust survivors from Poland.”

The entrepreneur, who is also an accomplished cellist, was born and raised in San Francisco and graduated from the prestigious Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

He is married to Lea Dessi-Olive, CFO at floss company Cocofloss.

Dessi-Olive’s latest activity on X shows that she is also passionate about the Palestinian cause, as she shared posts accusing Israel of apartheid.

In another post from September 2021, she shared a video of John Legend criticizing Israel. The couple also shared a photo with the singer the same month.

Dudum’s stance contrasts with other CEOs who have said they will not hire students who participate in the pro-Palestinian protests.

Bill Ackman, head of Pershing Square Capital Management, announced that he would not hire Harvard students who signed a letter blaming Israel for Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.

“Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary said pro-Palestinians are “screwed” because companies can use AI technology in the hiring process to root out any support from the anti-Israel movement and refuse to hire them.

‘Here’s your resume with a photo of you burning a flag. See that one. That goes in this pile right here because I can get the same person’s talent in this pile that doesn’t burn anything,” O’Leary said on Fox News.”The five‘ on Wednesday.

Police have arrested nearly 2,200 people in recent weeks during pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the United States, sometimes using riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash devices to clear tent camps and occupied buildings.

More than 100 people were taken into custody during the Columbia crackdown, just a fraction of the total number of arrests resulting from recent campus protests over the war between Israel and Hamas.

A tally by The Associated Press recorded at least 56 arrests at 43 different U.S. colleges or universities since April 18. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.

Israel has branded the protests as anti-Semitic, while Israel’s critics say it is using the accusations to silence the opposition.

Although some demonstrators have been caught on camera making anti-Semitic comments or violent threats, protest organizers call it a peaceful movement to defend Palestinian rights and protest the war.

President Joe Biden on Thursday defended students’ right to peaceful protest but denounced the disorder in recent days.

The demonstrations began in Columbia on April 17, with students calling for an end to the war between Israel and Hamas, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry there.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages in an attack on southern Israel on October 7.