Billionaire grad Bill Ackman excoriates Harvard, effectively leaves Democratic Party over DEI nonsense

A billionaire who has previously donated lavishly to his alma mater, Harvard University, has since slammed the school and even distanced himself from the Democratic Party over what he called "the fundamentally flawed and racist ideology" of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Bill Ackman, 57, is the founder and CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, a hedge fund management company based out of New York City. He also holds a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Harvard and has reportedly donated to the school generously, giving perhaps more than $40 million to the Harvard Kennedy School alone since he graduated.

However, he has recently become concerned about various leftist ideologies adopted by Harvard, especially its embrace of DEI, which Ackman called a destructive "oppressor/oppressed framework." When then-President Claudine Gay — who helped establish Harvard's Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging — told Congress last month that calls for Jewish genocide were not necessarily a violation of school policy, Ackman, who identifies as Jewish, joined a chorus of voices in calling for her resignation.

"I have always believed that diversity is an important feature of a successful organization, but by diversity I mean diversity in its broadest form: diversity of viewpoints, politics, ethnicity, race, age, religion, experience, socioeconomic background, sexual identity, gender, one’s upbringing, and more," Ackman wrote in a lengthy X post on January 3.

"What I learned, however, was that DEI was not about diversity in its purest form, but rather DEI was a political advocacy movement on behalf of certain groups that are deemed oppressed under DEI’s own methodology."

Gay stepped down last week amid multiple accusations of plagiarism. She will remain at Harvard as a professor and collect a staggering annual salary of $900,000.

In the X post following her resignation, Ackman admitted that his previous support for DEI was "naive" and called for a return to merit-based policies at Harvard and the permanent closure of Harvard's ODEIB.

"Harvard must once again become a meritocratic institution which does not discriminate for or against faculty or students based on their skin color, and where diversity is understood in its broadest form so that students can learn in an environment which welcomes diverse viewpoints from faculty and students from truly diverse backgrounds and experiences," Ackman wrote.

His disgust with DEI is not just limited to Harvard. It has even affected his political views — including the direction of his considerable political largesse. "I am no longer a Democrat," he announced in a tweet directed to anti-DEI crusader Christopher Rufo on Sunday. "I am a centrist. I care only about the truth. ...

"I have made direct and PAC donations to three Republican candidates in this election, @GovChristie, @NikkiHaley and @VivekGRamaswamy. I recently wrote a check for [Democrat] @deanbphillips," the post continued.

Elsewhere, Ackman praised Rufo's book, "America's Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything," calling it "excellent and carefully researched" and "a definite must read." He also stated that he had registered as a Democrat to vote in a previous primary but that his vote remains up for grabs.

"I will vote for and support whoever is best for our country regardless of their party affiliation," he said.

Critics on the left, however, have accused Ackman of harboring resentment against Harvard for not catering to his whims despite his healthy donations. The Nation called Ackman "America's most entitled donor." Yale epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves described Ackman as an "odious" "bully" who "thinks his money equals wisdom."

"Time to stand up to people like him," Gonsalves said.

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