FactsAboutHerbalife.com
The question was first raised about a month ago when anonymous Twitter user @TheSkeptic21-who tweets constantly about Herbalife- posted on his blog a theory that Dinneen was no longer at Pershing. (TheSkeptic21 later updated the blog emphasizing that he didn't think Dinneen was "fired", but that he didn't think he was physically in the office.)
From @TheSkeptic21's blog (emphasis ours):
To be accurate I guess "fired" may be a little "technical", but I believe Shane has NOT been in the Pershing Square Offices. Leave of absence, break, vacation, lacuna, interval, hiatus, time apart; whatever conversation Bill may have had with Shane, I'm sure he let Shane know "It's not you it's me." That being said I believe Shane Dinneen and Pershing Square are lovers no more. And really let's face it, it's not Shane**.
Dinneen was the analyst assigned to do the research before the hedge fund put on its massive Herbalife short.
Bill Cohan reported in Vanity Fair that Ackman "turned the Herbalife idea over to two of his employees, Shane Dinneen, a young Harvard graduate-who bears an uncanny resemblance to Conan O'Brien-and to Mariusz Adamski, whom Ackman had met on the tennis court and then hired as an intern. The two read public documents, reviewed old lawsuits, watched strange selling videos, and learned about Herbalife's bizarre, charismatic founder, Mark Hughes..."
When Ackman first revealed his short, Dinneen got to stand on stage with him at the Special Sohn event and help deliver the 342-slide presentation on Herbalife.
So far, the short hasn't played out in Pershing's favor. The hedge fund has racked up hundreds of millions in paper losses.
And now we have Fox Business Network's Charlie Gasparino is asking the question- Is Dinneen still at Pershing Square?
Pershing Square's public relations' firm didn't immediately respond to Gasparino's requests for comment. That's even after he publicly called them out on Twitter.
When Gasparino got on the phone with Dinneen's secretary, she said that she'd look at his calendar and try to get him on the phone, Gasparino Tweeted.
It took a day for Rubenstein to finally tell Gasparino that they had no comment on Dinneen.
We've posted his Tweets below:
from ackman's flacks at @RubensteinPR: "We have no comment on shane dinneen. if that changes we will let you know" wtf???
- Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) January 28, 2014
Shane dinneen's sectry at pershing sq tells fbn that she's "looking at his calendar" and he will try and give FBN a call $hlf
- Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) January 28, 2014
http://t.co/1JJftB24Vb loves to complain abt @FoxBusiness's ackman coverage but wont deny that shane dinneen is out at Pershsq waiting......
- Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) January 27, 2014
it's bizarre that neither ackman nor @RubensteinPR wont deny that $HLF shorter shane dinneen has left pershing they wont even comment
- Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) January 28, 2014
both bill ackman and his flacks at rubenstein are mum on renewed talk that shane dinneen -- co author of $HLF short--is out at pershing
- Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) January 27, 2014
For what it's worth, we've also asked Pershing's PR people if Dinneen still physically works at the office and haven't gotten a response.
Either way, the last person who's going to drop this story is Charlie Gasparino - so we'll keep you posted.