Billionaire investor Bill Ackman has explained that Pershing Square Capital Management’s complete sale of its Alphabet Inc Class A (GOOGL) position was executed as a rebalancing move rather than as an expression of bearishness toward the company.
The disclosure follows regulatory filings and firm updates showing the hedge fund redeployed the proceeds from its Alphabet liquidation to establish a sizable new position in Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) valued at $2.4 billion.
Pershing Square began accumulating Microsoft shares in February amid broader market weakness, according to the firm’s public filings. The purchases came while Microsoft shares were trading lower after investor concern surfaced over the company’s $190 billion artificial intelligence capital expenditure plan and a revised partnership arrangement with OpenAI.
Writing on the social media platform X, Ackman sought to correct market characterizations of the trade. He stated the sale was not intended as a bet against Alphabet, reiterating that Pershing Square remains "very bullish long term on Alphabet." Instead, Ackman said the firm treated the Alphabet holding as a source of liquidity to fund the Microsoft position, reflecting choices forced by a finite capital base.
Regulatory disclosures detailed the scale of the shift. During the first quarter Pershing Square added more than 5.6 million Microsoft shares while reducing its Alphabet stake by roughly 95 percent, and the remaining Alphabet shares were sold completely soon afterward.
The repositioning increases Pershing Square’s concentration within a group of large-cap technology companies commonly referenced as the "Magnificent Seven." The newly enlarged Microsoft stake also serves as a core holding for Pershing Square’s closed-end vehicle, Pershing Square USA Ltd (NYSE:PSUS), which raised $5 billion in its initial public offering on April 29.
This series of moves shows a tactical redeployment of capital from one major technology holding into another, with Pershing Square using proceeds from a long-held position to establish a new, substantial exposure to Microsoft while simultaneously seeding its publicly traded fund.
Summary of the shift:
- Pershing Square fully liquidated its remaining Alphabet Class A shares after sharply reducing the position during the first quarter.
- The firm accumulated over 5.6 million shares of Microsoft to create a new $2.4 billion position, beginning purchases in February.
- The Microsoft position was incorporated as a foundational holding for Pershing Square USA Ltd, which raised $5 billion at its April 29 IPO.