To this, the audience erupted in laughter.

An activist investor, Mr. Loeb is known for his pithy takedowns of corporate boards of companies in which he has taken a large stake. He uses sharp language to chastise corporate chieftains.

Separately during the same interview on Wednesday, Mr. Loeb acknowledged that his experience as an activist in other parts of the world, like Japan, was humbling. He praised Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe for putting in place reform that encourages corporate reform.

Mr. Loeb also took some credit for Mr. Abe’s move and said he had personally made progress in his most recent activist position in Fanuc, the Japanese robot maker. He told the audience, filled with hedge fund managers and financial advisers taking notes, that two weeks ago he had a meeting with the board of Fanuc. Several days ago, the company promised to double its dividend payout.

“Nobody thought this could be done,” Mr. Loeb said.

Mr. Loeb recounted how, after the move, the chief executive of Fanuc approached him to give him one message: “Just letting you know, we’re not doing a lot of these things because you told us to.”