About

Bill Ackman's "May I Meet You?" refers to a pickup line and catchphrase inspired by a viral tweet posted by American billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman in mid-November 2025, in which he gives dating advice to young men by telling them to ask women, "May I meet you?" Ackman offered the line to young men who had a hard time meeting women due to the influence of "online culture," saying that it was a line that helped him meet women spontaneously as a young man. The tweet prompted a slew of memes and jokes, with internet users accusing Ackman of being out of touch and posting jokes about using the line and failing to connect with any women.

As his pickup line continued to garner virality online heading into late November 2025, Bill Ackman notably retweeted numerous memes and jokes referencing it on his X / Twitter account, as well as users claiming it worked for them. Additionally, Ackman stated he was "very happy about it" when asked about the internet's reaction to his advice during an interview days later.

Origin

On November 15th, 2025, Bill Ackman posted a tweet^[1] giving young men advice for meeting women in a public setting, saying that the "online culture" has made it hard for men to have such spontaneous encounters. He offered men a line he supposedly used in his youth, telling them to ask women, "May I meet you?" Ackman continued, "I think the combination of proper grammar and politeness was the key to its effectiveness. You might give it a try." The post gathered over 21,000 likes in two days.

A transcript of the tweet is shown below:

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.

Initial reactions to the tweet were largely critical, with some internet users calling Ackman "unc," or saying that the line only worked because he was a wealthy businessman.

On November 15th, X^[2] user @Derivatives_Ape posted a tweet describing a scenario where he walked up to some women at a bar and asked them, "May I meet you," only for them to mock him and laugh at him hysterically. The post gathered over 18,000 likes in two days.

On November 16th, 2025, X^[3] user @sailaunderscore tweeted, "'May I meet you?' he billionaired," jokingly implying that Ackman's line for meeting new women only worked because of his wealth. The post gathered over 25,000 likes in a day.

Spread

On November 15th, 2025, X^[7] user @rich_toad posted an image of Bill Ackman and Palantir CEO Alex Karp next to the lines, "May I meet you?" and "Geographically monogamous." The post gathered over 7,000 likes in two days.

Also on November 15th, X^[8] user @HighyieldHarry posted a video of a male model greeting several women, writing, "Life after saying 'May I meet you?'" and gathering over 10,000 likes in two days.

On November 16th, 2025, Nick O'Neill (Choose Rich) posted a video to X^[4] testing Bill Ackman's advice, walking up to a woman in Washington Square Park and asking her, "May I meet you?" The video shows the woman dancing in front of her phone and ignoring O'Neill, gathering over 13,000 likes in a day.

That same day, X^[5] user @magills_ quote-tweeted Ackman's "May I meet you" tweet, posting an Awkward Party Reaction meme and gathering over 7,000 likes in a day.

Also on November 16th, 2025, X^[6] user @greg16676935420 tweeted a screenshot of him direct messaging Sydney Sweeney on Instagram, asking her, "May I meet you?" The post gathered over 45,000 likes in a day.

Bill Ackman's Response To Meme

On November 19th, 2025, Bill Ackman appeared on a Mornings with Maria Fox Business segment to discuss President Trump's Fannie-Freddie IPO plan, during which the anchor, Maria Bartiromo, asked him about the virality surrounding his "May I Meet You?" pickup line. Ackman stated that he was "very happy about it," adding, "And I'm happy about it because, you know, we have a generation of people that are sitting at home on Twitter or, more likely, on maybe Instagram or whatever, looking at people living sort of fake lives. And the reality is, human interaction is just critically important."

In the days following the meme's virality, Ackman also retweeted and reposted numerous memes and jokes related to his one-liner.^[9][10]

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References