Bill Ackman predicts a $1 trillion Israeli company within decade

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman predicted on October 22 that Israel would produce a company with a $1 trillion market capitalisation within a decade, saying the milestone could arrive within five years. According to Economic Times Markets, the Pershing Square Capital Management founder made the forecast at Sheba Medical Center’s annual ARC summit in Tel Aviv.

Ackman linked his optimism to Israel’s technology sector and the opportunities created by artificial intelligence. His prediction was an investment outlook, not an announced corporate milestone; he did not identify a company that he expected to reach that valuation.

A bet on founders building bigger businesses

Ackman said Israel’s technology ecosystem had developed substantially over the past decade. In his assessment, more entrepreneurs now want to expand their businesses into global companies rather than accept early acquisitions by multinationals.

He described the country’s small population as a traditional disadvantage against larger markets such as the United States and Europe, but argued that AI could turn that limited scale into an asset. His reasoning was that larger economies carry heavier fiscal obligations associated with supporting their populations. That was his assessment, rather than a demonstrated comparison of AI’s economic effects.

Ackman has a financial stake in the market he praised. He and his wife, Neri Oxman, bought a 5% holding in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in 2024. He said his confidence in Israel’s economy had strengthened since the October 7, 2023, attacks.

Regional outlook rests on political assumptions

Ackman also argued that successive conflicts had improved the prospects for peace in the Middle East and lowered regional risk. He said US President Donald Trump was working to remove what he described as the Iranian threat, and anticipated a substantial economic benefit for the region if that effort succeeded.

Those comments reflect Ackman’s geopolitical judgement, not an established finding that regional investment risks have diminished. His expectation of a peace-related economic gain was explicitly conditional on the outcome he envisaged.