Hims & Hers CEO walks back praise for anti-Israel protesters after stock drops
Hims & Hers founder and CEO Andrew Dudum said Sunday that his previous comments offering support for anti-Israel protesters on college campuses were "misconstrued by some" after the company's stock dipped.
In a thread on X, Dudum said he wished to clarify his earlier comments and said he does not support violence, antisemitism or intimidation.
"The last few days have been a disheartening reflection of just how divisive a time we live in," Dudum began. "I'd like to clarify a few things because my words have been misconstrued by some."
"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," he continued. "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."
HIMS & HERS STOCK SLIDES AFTER CEO'S PRAISE FOR ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS
This comes after Dudum, whose company provides telehealth services and prescription medication for issues such as hair loss, erectile dysfunction and skin problems, said Wednesday that demonstrators' future employment is not as important as standing up for the cause they believe in.
"Moral courage > College degree If you're currently protesting against the genocide of the Palestinian people & for your university's divestment from Israel, keep going," Dudum wrote on X. "It's working. There are plenty of companies & CEOs eager to hire you, regardless of university discipline."
Dudum, a Palestinian-American, also provided a link for protesters to apply for a job at his company.
This also comes after Hims & Hers saw its stock slide by 8% Friday amid criticism over Dudum's Wednesday post.
HIMS FOUNDER OFFERS JOBS TO ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS, HAILS THEIR 'MORAL COURAGE'
In his follow-up thread on Sunday, Dudum said he believes in the right for people to peacefully protest and call for change, emphasizing that the right to freedom of expression "must be protected."
"I do believe deeply in the right for people to use their voices in peaceful protest to drive change," he said. "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. 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."
Dudum said he has a "personal appreciation" for different perspectives people may have, since his children are both the descendants of Palestinian refugees who fled the Nakba in 1948 and the descendants of Holocaust survivors from Poland.
"As a father whose children are both the descendants of Palestinian refugees who fled the Nakba in 1948, and the descendants of Holocaust survivors from Poland, as I have previously shared, I have a personal appreciation for the different perspectives people have which I live with daily at my dinner table," he said. "I hope and pray for peace and for an end to violence everywhere."
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He also provided a link to a post on Medium he wrote in November in which he took issue with many companies offering "unequivocal support" for Israel after Hamas' "horrendous" Oct. 7 attack against the Jewish State.
Noting the estimated number of Palestinian deaths from the war at that point, Dudum stressed the importance of "nuance" when CEOs release statements about the war.
"The sheer strength and volume of those initial messages are now creating a deafening silence in the wake of the magnitude of horrors and loss of innocent life unfolding in Gaza," Dudem's Nov. 10 post reads.