They say men are from Mars and women are from Venus.
Billionaires must be from another galaxy entirely.
Bill Ackman, a US billionaire hedge fund manager, this week shared this tip for how young men should “meet young women in a public setting”. And the key to winning the lady over?
“May I meet you?”
I hear from many young men that they find it difficult to meet young women in a public setting. In other words, the online culture has destroyed the ability to spontaneously meet strangers. As such, I thought I would share a few words that I used in my youth to meet someone that…
— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) November 15, 2025
Here’s his full post:
I hear from many young men that they find it difficult to meet young women in a public setting. In other words, the online culture has destroyed the ability to spontaneously meet strangers. As such, I thought I would share a few words that I used in my youth to meet someone that I found compelling.
I would ask: “May I meet you?” before engaging further in a conversation. 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.
I think the combination of proper grammar and politeness was the key to its effectiveness. You might give it a try.
And yes, I think it should also work for women seeking men as well as same sex interactions.
Just two cents from an older happily married guy concerned about our next generation’s happiness and population replacement rates.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Bill’s post went mega-viral.
Bill Ackman just embraced his now-viral dating advice and turned it into a warning about the future of humanity.
The CEO of Pershing Square says he loves that “May I meet you?” has entered the cultural zeitgeist, because it exposes something darker: young people are too online,… pic.twitter.com/i2K1cXLi5t
— Overton (@overton_news) November 19, 2025
Turns out, people had a lot of opinions on (and jokes about) his advice.
1.
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take https://t.co/hIO2u3Yykz pic.twitter.com/nvOD1FK0A1
— greg (@greg16676935420) November 16, 2025
2.
https://t.co/QqtVCPqK8T pic.twitter.com/GKDW2eeDyY
— denzell (@cdxker) November 17, 2025
3.
“May I meet you?” https://t.co/0oVlGuTKWC pic.twitter.com/XJ1rBT8lYs
— Magills (@magills_) November 16, 2025
4.
I wrote “May I Meet You” pick-up lines for LPs, because The Allocator Newsletter is service journalism. and also gossip. https://t.co/nS1V1lTDvc https://t.co/RMNSYQKnSS pic.twitter.com/eIvWvGnoZH
— Leanna Orr (@LeannaO) November 19, 2025
5.
“May I meet you?” he billionaired. https://t.co/rWbEmqdP0p pic.twitter.com/2z9tQTTbcU
— saila (@sailaunderscore) November 16, 2025
6.
“May I meet you” https://t.co/axTSW8GZJI pic.twitter.com/O88YjFHTUX
— Randall or Mortimer (@Lehman_Bro) November 16, 2025
7.
I just tested @BillAckman’s “May I meet you” dating method https://t.co/scDdaMLuMi pic.twitter.com/3nv5U5ghHN
— Nick O’Neill (@chooserich) November 16, 2025
8.
At this point, saying “May I meet you?” ironically would also work https://t.co/iI1LqniYjq
— Alexia Bonatsos (@alexia) November 16, 2025
9.
https://t.co/G4cPhs4VfV pic.twitter.com/MOo1cxfYdV
— jaiya (@jaiyagill) November 17, 2025
10.
Fascinating. I have never used “may I meet you?”
That being said, I think expressing genuine interest in someone else, a sense of humor, quick wit and a smile on your face can take you very far in relationships. Also, walk straight and don’t dress like you live under a bridge.— Chabria (@ShivenChabria) November 15, 2025
11.
Hey Bill what happens when she thinks you meant meat instead of meet
— greg (@greg16676935420) November 16, 2025
12.
may i meet you fellow kids pic.twitter.com/Oto6xmE2nH
— paris hotel enjoyer (@iconridge) November 15, 2025
