Who is Andrew Dudum? HIMS CEO sparks anger by offering jobs to US campus anti-Israel protesters
Andrew Dudum motivated the anti-Israel protestors by saying that many companies and their CEOs are "eager to hire you, regardless of university discipline."
Amid the ongoing demonstrations in campuses across the United States, Andrew Dudum, the CEO of a hair loss company, followed in the footsteps of Shiraz University in Iran, which has offered free tuition to US students expelled for participating in anti-Israel protests.
Extending his support to the student protestors, the Palestinian-American CEO wrote on Wednesday, "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," he continued, stressing that "it’s working".
He further motivated the protestors by saying that several companies and their CEOs are "eager to hire you, regardless of university discipline."
Dudum didn't stop there as he went on to share a link of his hair loss company for those who want to apply for a job at an online pharmacy that offers products for anxiety, erectile dysfunction and skincare.
Andrew Dudum faces backlash
Critics attacked him as soon as they saw his tweet, declaring that they would be canceling their HIMS subscriptions and urging others to follow suit.
“Translation: $HIMS hires antisemites. If there was ever a sell signal, this is it,” one X user replied.
“If you support Israel, cancel your HIMS subscription s immediately. You can get similar products elsewhere for cheaper anyway,” wrote conservative writer Ben Domenech.
Joe Lonsdale, co-founder of Palantir Technologies, also chimed in, saying that “Real moral courage doesn't involve joining a mindless mob, chanting anti-US and other woke Pablum, following instructions not to debate or discuss your positions at all yet being indignantly righteous, while large numbers in the mob chant for violence and block Jewish students.”
Several other users shared screenshots of their membership cancellations, with one X user noting that “Your CEO supports Hamas”.
“Just sold all my HIMS@AndrewDudum. Wearing the Israel or Palestine jersey is not relevant to me but a CEO hiring protestors and wearing a particular jersey is a tone deaf loss of focus. There is no need for a moral position - that’s not what the board or shareholders hired you for,” Lucas From IntraAlpha.com commented.
Who is Andrew Dudum?
According to Andrew Dudum, his family resides in in Gaza and the West Bank. He founded his hair loss company, HIMS, in 2017.
In a blog post in November, Dudum called for a ceasefire amid the ongoing war and slammed the companies who were still backing Israel amid the killing of innocent Palestinians. Over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war so far, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
In a post on Medium, American-Palestinian identified as a "father whose children are both the descendants of Holocaust survivors from Poland and Palestinian refugees who fled the Nakba in 1948".
Dudum, who was born and raised in San Francisco, was expelled from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.
Over 2,000 people have been arrested across college campuses amid the ongoing pro-Palestinian demonstrations. US Police have even used riot gear and flash-bang tolls to remove students from tent encampments and occupied buildings.