An image shared on X allegedly shows a post from billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman suggesting that he might acquire social media platform Bluesky and shut it down. 

why not just let people enjoy a different website? pic.twitter.com/jlDHcYnwvt

— Andrew Fleischman (@ASFleischman) November 20, 2024

Verdict: False

There is no evidence to suggest this is a genuine Ackman post. Ackman himself made an X post debunking the claim.

Fact Check: 

Ackman recently listed two luxury 3,000 square feet apartments for sale that will result in a multimillion-dollar loss, according to the New York Post. He listed for a combined $19.9 million years after he spent $22 million to acquire the side-by-side apartments, the outlet reported.

An X post purports that Ackman is interested in purchasing the new social media platform Bluesky. The image appears to show a Nov. 20 Bluesky post from an account called @bill-ackman.bsky.social with a profile picture of Ackman.

It reads, “Something to consider: Bluesky’s value is estimated at $500M-$1B. Acquiring and shutting it down could prevent further fracturing of the town square. This cost may be justified to preserve market dominance and avoid fragmentation, which, while draconian, ultimately keeps people together.”

The post’s caption reads, “why not just let people enjoy a different website?” (RELATED: No, Elon Musk Is Not Buying McDonald’s) 

There is no evidence Ackman actually posted this, however. There are no credible news reports about Ackman making this post. Inputting the URL seen in the alleged Ackman post yields a notification that the account has been suspended. 

Ackman made an X post debunking the claim. “This is a fraudulent account. We had it taken down yesterday. The only social media I use is @X,” it reads.

This is a fraudulent account. We had it taken down yesterday. The only social media I use is @X https://t.co/pN8lJHyiAM

— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) November 21, 2024

The claim was also debunked by Lead Stories. Additionally, Mashable reported that an account impersonating Ackman on Bluesky went viral recently.

Check Your Fact reached out to an Ackman spokesperson for comment.