It turns out Bill Ackman’s now-viral icebreaker is one way he met women in college.
Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund executive who recently ran for mayor of New York City, said he has known Ackman since they were at Harvard. He told Business Insider that he remembers Ackman, in his bachelor days, having success with a line that’s now gone viral on social media: “May I meet you?”
Although Tilson said he never saw Ackman use the one-liner in person, he said his friend would often recount using it, particularly on the subway.
“That’s Bill. He’s just very forward. If you know his history as an investor and so forth, he is the most stubborn, persistent person I know. And he will stick his neck out,” Tilson, who also posted about the line on Facebook, told Business Insider.
I hear from many young men that they find it difficult to meet young women in a public setting. In other words, the online culture has destroyed the ability to spontaneously meet strangers. As such, I thought I would share a few words that I used in my youth to meet someone that…
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) November 15, 2025
He doesn’t remember Ackman ever saying the line backfired, though Tilson, like many online, pointed out that the billionaire was tall, handsome, and confident even before making a fortune on Wall Street. Ackman, who is now married with kids, is worth $9.3 billion, according to Forbes.
“I haven’t talked to him about this particular tweet, but I don’t think he expected it to go viral the way it did. It’s sort of benign, if you think about it,” Tilson said.
Ackman didn’t respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Tilson ran Kase Capital Management for almost two decades, until he shuttered the firm in 2017. He is known as a staunch proponent of value investing, having co-authored “The Art of Value Investing” in 2013. He has also made a name for himself with frequent appearances on financial television.
In 2012, Ackman shorted the nutrition company Herbalife. Though many investors took the opposite side of the trade, Tilson also took a short position in the stock.
Ackman, Tilson said, had a few girlfriends during his college years, and prided himself on playing matchmaker.
Tilson never tried the line out himself, but said he doesn’t think it’s such a bad idea.
