Bill Ackman just shared his dating advice for young men, and the internet’s response was brutal

Billionaire Bill Ackman thought it would be a good idea to give dating tips to young men on social media. The 59-year-old hedge fund manager posted his thoughts on X , trying to help guys who struggle to meet women. Things did not go as planned. People turned his advice into jokes and memes almost immediately.

According to Bro Bible, Ackman started his post by talking about a problem he says he hears about often. “I hear from many young men that they find it difficult to meet young women in a public setting,” he wrote. He blamed online culture for making it harder for people to talk to strangers in person. Then he shared what he used to do when he was younger.

His big tip was to walk up to someone and ask “May I meet you?” before trying to have a conversation. Ackman said this worked really well for him back in the day. “I almost never got a No. It inevitably enabled the opportunity for a further conversation. I met a lot of really interesting people this way,” he explained. He thought being polite and using proper grammar was why it worked so well.

People were not impressed at all

Almost as soon as Ackman posted his advice, people started making fun of it. The idea of asking “May I meet you?” seemed completely out of touch to most people who actually date in the real world. Social media lit up with jokes and memes about the billionaire’s suggestion.

The post quickly inspired a flood of memes mocking the advice. One popular meme showed a comic comparing appropriate versus inappropriate workplace behavior, with both panels featuring someone asking “Hello, may I meet you?”

The joke highlighted how the line sounds more like something from a business meeting than a genuine romantic approach. Another meme sarcastically attributed the quote “If you like her, just ask her out. Always works for me” to actor Henry Cavill, poking fun at how easy billionaires and celebrities make dating sound when their lives are nothing like regular people’s experiences.

One person decided to actually try what Ackman suggested and came back with an update. “I tried this at the coffee shop,” they wrote. “I asked this cute girl sitting next to me, ‘May I meet you?’ She said no. The end.” This comment showed exactly why people thought the advice was bad. A billionaire’s experience with dating probably looks very different from what regular people go through.

The memes kept coming. One particularly viral image showed the contrast between Ackman’s confident advice to “just go to here and ask her out, you only need confidence” with the anxious reality most people face when actually attempting it. The gap between a billionaire’s perspective and everyday dating struggles became the perfect target for internet humor.

Ackman saw the coffee shop comment and replied with even more advice. “Try again. You need not fear being rejected. Wrong girl for you. Her loss, your gain,” he told them. This just made things worse. People pointed out how easy it is to say “don’t fear rejection” when you’re a billionaire. The internet has seen plenty of arguments about whether Taco Bell makes for a good first date, showing that everyone has different opinions about dating.

People care a lot about dating choices, from judging what someone cooks for a first date to now roasting billionaires for their pickup lines. At the end of the day, being yourself and treating people with respect is probably better advice than using a line from someone whose life is nothing like yours.