Kevin O'Leary slams Hims & Hers CEO over his support of anti-Israel protests: 'You'd be whacked in seconds'
"Shark Tank" co-host Kevin O'Leary unloaded on Hims & Hers CEO Andrew Dudum on Monday for his support of the anti-Israel protests — which he has walked back — and said he would have been fired if he was working for O'Leary.
O'Leary was asked Monday during an interview on FOX Business' "The Big Money Show" to weigh in on Dudum's initial response to the protests, which was supportive of the demonstrators protesting the Israel-Hamas war. "There are plenty of companies & CEOs eager to hire you, regardless of university discipline," Dudum had said.
O'Leary said he would have taken decisive action against Dudum.
"I would have fired this individual seconds after he made those remarks," he said. "Be gone. Because who are you serving by saying that? You know you're in a highly polarized situation. Fifty percent of your market does not agree with your view – we know that's the case. People are very polarized by this war, as they are in every war."
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He said Dudum was only serving himself and had "no right" to push his values on everyone else.
"You can have an opinion, just like I can or everybody else can. But it is not your business to polarize everybody on your stack of shareholders and customers and employees," O'Leary said.
"If you can't figure this out as a CEO, your board should fire you right now. And if you were working for me, you'd be whacked in seconds, seconds. You'd be history," he continued.
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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."
O'Leary said social media has largely decimated the management of colleges and universities, explaining that, as soon as something controversial happens, it quickly gets amplified.
"Today, everybody is their own network. It's all 4K resolution, and the message gets out in seconds, totally beyond the control of a university board or president or dean or anybody else. And they've all got to learn how to dela with this," he told FOX Business.
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O'Leary previously warned that students were trashing their personal brands by fighting with police, taking down flags, or burning things down while protesting the war.
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He explained that, like most corporations, he hires a firm to check into the background of potential hires.
"Unfortunately," he continued, students who were "fighting with the police" or engaging in other activity will have their résumés thrown out when it comes time for them to get a job.
Fox News' Landon Mion and Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.