# Bill Ackman gets into Microsoft for reasons similar to Cramer's arguments to hold it — retained record > Retained news record from news:cnbc-tech. Canonical: https://highsignal.app/data/records/970320abe231015e [← sources](https://highsignal.app/data) source: [news](https://highsignal.app/data/news) (news:cnbc-tech) published 2026-05-15 18:26 ingested 2026-05-16 07:55 [original source ↗](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/15/bill-ackman-gets-into-microsoft-for-reasons-similar-to-cramers-arguments-to-hold-it.html) ## extract Skip Navigation Markets Pre-Markets U.S. Markets Currencies Prediction Markets Cryptocurrency Futures & Commodities Bonds Funds & ETFs Business Economy Finance Health & Science Media Real Estate Energy Climate Transportation Investigations Industrials Retail Wealth Sports Life Small Business Investing Personal Finance Fintech Financial Advisors Options Action ETF Street Buffett Archive Earnings Trader Talk Tech Cybersecurity AI Enterprise Internet Media Mobile Social Media CNBC Disruptor 50 Tech Guide Politics White House Policy Defense Congress Expanding Opportunity Video Latest Video Full Episodes Livestream Live Audio Live TV Schedule CNBC Podcasts CEO Interviews CNBC Documentaries Digital Originals Watchlist Investing Club Trust Portfolio Analysis Trade Alerts Meeting Videos Homestretch Jim's Columns Education Subscribe PRO Pro News Josh Brown Mike Santoli Calls of the Day My Portfolio Livestream Full Episodes Stock Screener Market Forecast Options Investing Chart Investing Subscribe Livestream Menu Make It select USA INTL Livestream Search quotes, news & videos Livestream Watchlist SIGN IN Create free account Markets Business Investing Tech Politics Video Watchlist Investing Club PRO Livestream Menu Bill Ackman gets into Microsoft for reasons similar to Cramer's arguments to hold it Published Fri, May 15 2026 1:31 PM EDT Updated Fri, May 15 2026 2:26 PM EDT Natasha Abellard Jim Cramer is warning investors not to sleep on Microsoft 's ability to stay competitive. Most of the analyst community agrees — and so does at least one billionaire hedge fund manager. "The main reason we don't want to sell [Microsoft] is because they actually have the balance sheet to do what they want," Jim said on " Squawk on the Street " on Friday. "Tomorrow, they could do something that is so revolutionary that we could say, 'Why did we doubt them?" Jim's comments came after Bill Ackman's hedge fund, Pershing Square , revealed a sizable stake in the software and cloud giant. Shares of Microsoft popped roughly 4% on Friday after Ackman shared the update on X ahead of Pershing Square's quarterly 13F filing. According to FactSet, around 95% of analysts have a buy-equivalent rating on the stock. We're a bit more conservative, with our 2 rating hold on the stock. Ackman said the recent pullback in Microsoft shares, which are still down nearly 12% in 2026, was a rare opportunity to buy at a reasonable valuation. The hedge fund manager also said he is "encouraged to see Microsoft prioritizing its R & D efforts and investment in Copilot, its own AI agent embedded across M365, with direct involvement from CEO Satya Nadella." He added, "We believe these efforts will translate into improved product velocity and greater customer adoption over time." MSFT YTD mountain Microsoft YTD The disclosure of Pershing Square's stake in Microsoft comes at a time when software enterprise giants are getting knocked on artificial intelligence disruption concerns. Investors have been worrying that AI-driven efficiency gains could lead to workforce reductions, pressuring the seat-based model for its legacy offerings like Microsoft 365, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Ackman said his hedge fund began building its position in Microsoft back in February after a sell-off following its fiscal 2026 second-quarter results reported late January. Ackman also believes investors are underestimating Microsoft's long-term potential. Though disappointed with Microsoft's latest fiscal third-quarter report, Jim is confident that Microsoft has the resources needed to get ahead despite the recent rotation out of the stock into hotter AI plays. During Friday's Morning Meeting , Jim disagreed with investors piling into enterprise software stocks with no meaningful catalysts right now, including companies like Workday , ServiceNow , and Club holding Salesforce , following Ackman's disclosure. "That's not the game," Jim said. He has said repeatedly that all software stocks should not be painted with the same brush. He feels Microsoft's business and stock are more dependent on cloud growth than on software. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long MSFT and CRM. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED. More In Analysis Can the S&P 500 hold on for a 7th weekly gain? Plus, Friday's best and worst stocks Jeff Marks Cramer: Starbucks layoffs aim to fix margins so CEO Niccol can 'play offense' Paulina Likos Jim Cramer says it's time to trim this volatile AI chipmaker Alexa LoMonaco Read More ## retained text No document body was retained for this record — only its metadata was stored.