Bill Ackman's Dispute with Harvard Over $75 Million in Missed Gains

The billionaire investor continues his criticism of the university's handling of antisemitism and free speech, while also dealing with a donation dispute.

Bill Ackman, billionaire founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, has been vocal in his criticism of Harvard University and its president, Claudine Gay, over issues of antisemitism and free speech on campus.
Ackman has denied that his campaign against Harvard is driven by personal resentment, but has acknowledged a dispute with the university over a donation he made in 2017.
In 2017, Ackman donated $10 million in stock to Harvard, which was sold by the university in 2020 for the same amount. However, when the company went public in 2021, the stock was worth $85 million.
Ackman claims that Harvard's sale of the stock resulted in a missed opportunity for $75 million in potential gains and his loss of the opportunity to allocate $70 million of those gains to a Harvard-related initiative of his choice.
Despite the ongoing dispute, Ackman insists that his criticism of Harvard's leadership and his advocacy for antisemitism and free speech on campus are unrelated to the donation issue.