Carl Icahn on Thursday expressed his support for Illumina 's new CEO Jacob Thaysen – a relief for the company as it tries to rebound from a bitter proxy fight with the billionaire activist investor.
"I think he will do an excellent job and he has my full support," Icahn said in a post on X, noting that he spoke with Thaysen.
Icahn, who continues to own a small stake in Illumina, launched a proxy battle over the company's decision to close its $7.1 billion acquisition of cancer test developer Grail in 2021 without approval from antitrust regulators in U.S. and European Union.
Icahn was a staunch critic of Illumina's former CEO Francis deSouza, who ultimately resigned after the proxy battle in May despite securing enough votes to stay.
"I'd find it comical, if it wasn't so reprehensible that ILMN's share price is down 63% due to CEO Francis deSouza making such an absurd and questionable purchase," Icahn said in a statement to CNBC in March.
Persons:
Carl Icahn, Jacob Thaysen –, Icahn, Thaysen, Francis deSouza
Organizations:
Union, CNBC
Locations:
Illumina