Billionaire investor Bill Ackman decided to mentor the chronically online this week by offering young men a line he swears always worked when he spoke to women in his youth.

He told young men that, when they find a compelling woman they want to get to know better, they should ask them, "May I meet you?"

Ackman's advice prompted a slew of memes and jokes from people who thought he was being totally out of touch and actually setting them up for failure in today's tough dating environment.

Others took his advice to heart and recounted their experiences of totally bombing when the time came to deploy the pickup line.

Here's a recap of all the memes about, "May I meet you?"

What Was Bill Ackman’s Advice to Young Men?

On November 15th, 2025, Bill Ackman posted another one of his signature way-over-the-character-limit tweets, saying that he was perturbed by young men and their inability to confidently approach women in the modern age.

Ackman, a billionaire hedge fund manager known for managing Pershing Square and for being a major MAGA donor, blamed "online culture" for erasing spontaneous encounters and offered up the phrase he would use to great success in his youth: "May I meet you?"

Ackman insisted he "almost never got a no" and said the line reliably opened the door to "a further conversation." He credited the line's success to "proper grammar and politeness," and said that it could be used by women approaching men as well.

He topped off his tweet by positioning himself as a "happily married guy" who is just worried about "population replacement rates," which, to many, gave the whole thing the tone of a well-meaning but out-of-touch uncle trying to give you dating advice.

How Did Internet Users React to Bill Ackman's Post?

Bill Ackman's line quickly became a viral catchphrase online as it was referenced and mocked in numerous memes.

For example, on November 15th, 2025, X user @Derivatives_Ape posted a bar-scene reenactment in which he put "May I Meet You?" into a conversation with a group of women, only to be laughed out of the building. The tweet hit over 18,000 likes in two days.

That same day, X user @rich_toad paired Ackman with fellow billionaire Alex Karp in a side-by-side image labeled "May I meet you?" and "Geographically monogamous," mocking both businessmen for their unrealistic lifestyle habits.

Also on the 15th, X user @HighyieldHarry posted a video of a male model greeting and posing with multiple women, captioned, "Life after saying ‘May I meet you?’" The ironic take on Bill Ackman's now infamous pickup line gathered over 10,000 likes in two days.

Life after saying “May I meet you?”pic.twitter.com/yrsXmCbgNn

— High Yield Harry (@HighyieldHarry) November 16, 2025

But some people really tried to put Bill Ackman's advice to the test.

On November 16th, creator Nick O'Neill, also known as Choose Rich, filmed himself testing the line in Washington Square Park, approaching a woman who looked pretty busy filming herself dancing for her own content.

Needless to say, he struck out, and his failure helped him rake in 13,000 likes in a day.

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

What Are Some More 'May I Meet You' Memes?

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For the full history of Bill Ackman's "May I Meet You?", be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.