Hims & Hers CEO clarifies social media post on Gaza

Andrew Dudum, the co-founder and CEO of telehealth company Hims & Hers, on Monday sought to clarify a recent post on X (formerly Twitter) regarding on-campus protests against the war in Gaza. 

Dudum's prepared remarks during the company's first-quarter earnings call included a statement saying he did not condone or support antisemitism or intimidation. The company, which reported strong earnings after the market's close, saw its stock rebound from last week in after-hours trading.

"My words have been misconstrued by some," Dudum told financial analysts on the call. "I am deeply saddened that my support for peaceful protest has been interpreted by some as encouraging violence, intimidation or bigotry of any kind."

He also posted the statement Sunday on X. Hims & Hers representatives directed Modern Healthcare to the thread in response to requests for comment.

Dudum, who identifies as Palestinian-American with family in the West Bank and Gaza, faced backlash for an initial post early Wednesday addressed to protesters, in which he wrote that moral courage is greater than a college degree. The company's stock fell 7% from Tuesday's close to its closing price Monday of $11.65 a share.

Dudum has made past comments regarding the war in Gaza, including a November post on the blogging site Medium encouraging business leaders to call for a cease-fire in the region.

When asked by analysts on the earnings call about potential impacts the original social media post would have on Hims & Hers' overall business, Dudum said his comments were not expected to have material impacts.

Hims & Hers reported first-quarter net income of $11.1 million, or 5 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $10.1 million, or 5 cents per share, in the prior-year period. Quarterly revenues increased 46% year-over-year to $278 million.