Chipotle be like “May I NOT meet you?” 

If you’ve never seen an activist on activist crime… well Chipotle just gave you a clinic on it. In short, Chipotle woke up Monday morning to discover it was being boycotted on the internet for something it did not do, by a guy who does not work there, over a donation that had nothing to do with burritos. So naturally, it panic-posted.

The chain that brought us “guac is extra” and “remember norovirus?” went full we don’t claim him and dropped a one-sentence disavowal on Threads (cringe) that said: “Bill Ackman is not affiliated with Chipotle.” That’s it. Not very much context, but more a clean severing of the limb. 

(Source: NY Post) 

Y tho?

Well, here’s what happened: Bill Ackman donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe for Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting in Minneapolis. Ackman confirmed the donation, called the situation tragic, and explained his reasoning like a guy who assumed adults were still allowed to have opinions. Spoiler: Bad assumption. Within minutes, keyboard warriors on Threads decided Ackman owned Chipotle. Or still controlled it. Or spiritually haunted it. Details were optional but regardless, the call went out: boycott the burritos. Things like:

“Don’t eat at Chipotle. The guy who owns it just gave $10,000 to the man who killed Renee Good.” Of course, none of that sentence was entirely correct. But it was loud, so it counted. So Chipotle, seeing the pitchforks warming up, immediately clarified that Ackman is not affiliated with the company. Which is technically true in the same way “I don’t know that guy” is true when you absolutely used to know that guy. Because the funny part about it is, is the fact that Ackman absolutely was Chipotle. 

(Source: Imgflip) 

For context, back in 2016, Pershing Square Capital Management took a 9.9% stake while Chipotle was circling the drain post–food safety apocalypse. Ackman forced board changes, pushed management, and helped engineer one of the cleaner fast-casual turnarounds of the last decade. The stock ripped, shareholders were happy, and all seemed well in the world as Ackman slowly sold into the success and peaced out. By late 2025, Pershing Square was fully gone with no hard feelings attached… until now. 

Meaning, when the internet showed up yelling “boycott,” Chipotle did the only thing modern corporations know how to do: issue a public denial on a dying app to people who were already wrong. Obviously, Chipotle didn’t defend him nor did they explain the history. They just hit the eject button and hoped the algorithm moved on to the next outrage in 20 minutes. And who can blame them? Chipotle has zero incentive to relitigate a decade-old investor relationship when its core business is selling chicken bowls to people who just want lunch.

(Source: Giphy) 

Still there’s something hilarious about watching a company publicly disown the guy who helped save it because someone on Threads can’t read a cap table. Translation: Chipotle chose survival. The end. And now after a wild ride over the last two days, shares are still up nearly 2% over the last five trading days. Crise = averted… for now. Meaning, keep your eyes on this story and place your bets accordingly, friends. Until next time… 

At the time of publishing, Stocks.News does not hold positions in companies mentioned in the article.