Bill Ackman: Harvard's Gay Refuses to Resign

Billionaire hedge fund CEO Bill Ackman says a "reliable" source told him that Harvard President Claudine Gay has been asked to resign but refuses to do so.

Ackman, a Harvard graduate and founder of the head of Pershing Square Capital Management, is among those who've been critical of Gay since the president's testimony before Congress on Dec. 6 when she refused to say whether calling for the genocide of Jews on campus was against school policy.

"I have heard from a source that is reliable but a step or two removed from the situation that the @Harvard Corporation has asked President Gay to resign and she has refused," Ackman posted on X Sunday night.

"Gay has apparently said that if she is fired, she will sue. Gay has retained her own counsel."

Gay has been under fire since her answers during questioning by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.

The Harvard president also has been plagued by accusations of plagiarism. The latest allegations come from a detailed complaint about her academic works, the Washington Free Beacon reported.

"I can't 100% confirm the above [Gay refusing to resign] is true, but if it is, I am sure the Board is concerned about what may emerge in legal discovery in the event of litigation," Ackman added on his X post.

"At this point, however, what choice does the Board have?

"If the Board makes an inappropriate deal on severance or gives Gay a guaranteed position at Harvard, it will look like a payoff to keep her quiet. I can't see how she stays at Harvard in any capacity."

Ackman added that there was "plenty of cause for [Gay's] termination without compensation" and that "[t]he sooner Gay is gone, the sooner repairing the damage can begin."

It has been reported that former President Barack Obama, a Harvard graduate, privately has lobbied in favor of Gay while she has been pushed to resign.

• Why Is Claudine Gay Still the President of Harvard?
• NY Times Opinion Writer Calls on Harvard's Gay to Resign