A telehealth and online pharmacy CEO tempered his support for pro-Palestinian college protesters after his company's stock price tumbled in the wake of his encouragement of their actions and offer to potentially hire them.
Andrew Dudum, a co-founder of Hims & Hers Health, said Sunday night that he wanted 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," Dudum wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Every student deserves to feel safe without fear of harm or being targeted for who they are."
Dudum, a Palestinian-American, added that he was "deeply saddened that my support for peaceful protest has been interpreted by some as encouraging violence, intimidation, or bigotry of any kind."
Dudum's remarks came after he said "moral courage" was more important than a college degree in a Wednesday post on X.
"If you're currently protesting against the genocide of the Palestinian people & for your university's divestment from Israel, keep going. It's working," Dudum wrote. "There are plenty of companies & CEOs eager to hire you, regardless of university discipline."
Dudum also included a link to apply for jobs at his company, which markets drugs for sexual performance, hair growth and weight loss.
On Friday, Fox Business tied Dudum's message to an 8% slide in the share price of Hims & Hers, which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in January 2021.
The stock rebounded somewhat on Monday and was trading at $11.74 a share, up 4.3%, during the afternoon.
Scores of college campuses around the world have been rocked by pro-Palestinian protests since police officers broke up an encampment and arrested about 130 people at New York City's Columbia University on April 18.
Demonstrations at Columbia have continued, including the brief occupation of the school's Hamilton Hall building last week, and the school on Monday canceled its scheduled May 15 commencement ceremony.
