Bill Ackman ranted on X about $2M severance demand from a former employee — fellow billionaires rushed to his defense

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Victoria Vesovski

5 min read

It’s not unusual for people to vent about workplace issues to friends or family.

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, however, took a much more public approach, sharing a roughly 2,400 word post on X detailing a dispute involving a former in-house lawyer at his family office, TABLE Management (1).

In the post, Ackman described his concerns about high staff turnover and rising costs at the firm, which was established about 15 years ago to oversee his personal finances. He said he asked his nephew — who had previously worked at a watch company that Ackman controls — to look into operations at TABLE.

According to Ackman, his nephew’s presence took a turn for the worse when the latter made a comment at a lunch about a woman looking young for her age. The remark, along with others, didn’t go unnoticed by the woman, an in-house lawyer whom Ackman referred to using the pseudonym “Ronda.” She was later laid off as part of broader staffing changes and alleged that the comments contributed to an “unsafe work environment.”

Ackman said the former employee declined a severance package of three months’ pay and instead sought compensation equivalent to two years’ salary, which would work out to roughly $2 million.

Severance (2) pay is money some employees receive after they’re let go, though it’s not required under the Fair Labor Standards Act (2). Still, it’s fairly common, especially in corporate roles.

Data from compensation platform Pave shows many employers place limits on how much they’ll pay. About half of companies cap severance altogether, with public firms typically topping out at around 26 weeks of pay, and private companies closer to 12 weeks (3).

Ackman’s post quickly gained traction online, drawing 11 million views and 23,000 likes, including reactions from fellow billionaires. Elon Musk (4) wrote that situations like this have “gone too far,” (4) while Donald Trump Jr. added (5), “This nonsense has to stop.”

Joe Lonsdale, who co-founded Palantir, was among those who chimed in on Ackman’s post. “Destroy them!” he wrote, according to the Wall Street Journal (6).

Ackman also suggested the demand may have been influenced by his personal circumstances, noting that he’s been focused on caring for one of his adult daughters who’s recovering from a brain hemorrhage.

Others joined the conversation, including anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck, who argued workplace dynamics are shifting, telling the WSJ, “there is a system that preys more on white males because it’s like they are outside the victim hierarchy.”

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However, the dispute is unfolding against a broader shift in how diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is being approached. Under Joe Biden, a 2021 executive order pushed a government-wide effort to expand diversity and reduce barriers to employment across federal agencies (7).

More recently, that approach has started to change. In May 2025, President Trump signed a memorandum removing DEI considerations from parts of the Foreign Service, emphasizing a return to merit-based hiring (8). Trump has said employers should hire and promote workers based on merit, but the question is whether biases and structural barriers still shape who gets those opportunities.

Recent data suggests gaps still remain. In 2024, women held just 29% of executive-level roles at major North American companies, according to McKinsey & Company (9).

Ackman wrote that allegations of “gender discrimination” and a “hostile and unsafe work environment” could carry reputational consequences, particularly as he prepares to take his company, Pershing Square Capital Management, public in the coming months (1).

Not everyone was on Ackman’s side. Some users on X called his post distasteful, pointing out that the situation stemmed from comments made by his nephew, while others noted Ackman had praised “Ronda” as “eminently qualified and capable” before publicly criticizing her.

For Ackman, it’s largely back to business as he continues to focus on major deals, including a bid by Pershing Square Capital Management to acquire Universal Music Group in a transaction (10) valuing the label at around $64 billion (10). Universal Music — home to artists like Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift and The Beatles — could merge with Pershing Square’s acquisition vehicle if the deal moves forward, with plans to shift its listing to the New York Stock Exchange.

For most workers, though, disputes like this can carry far more immediate consequences. Severance pay can be a critical financial bridge during a job transition, helping cover essentials while someone searches for their next role, which makes the stakes of these negotiations much higher outside the billionaire class.

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We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.

X (1),(4),(5); U.S. Department of Labor (2); Pave (3); The Wall Street Journal (6); The White House Archives (7); The White House (8); McKinsey & Company (9); Reuters (10)

This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: Bill Ackman ranted on X about $2M severance demand from a former employee — fellow billionaires rushed to his defense

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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