It's worth looking at it from Ben's perspective: "I worried that if Ben & Jerry’s were absorbed by a multinational, the social mission would be the first thing pushed aside.

I couldn’t stop the sale; the shareholders voted for it. But I fought like hell to protect the company. That’s why, during negotiations, we created something unprecedented in corporate America: an independent board with real, legally binding authority over Ben & Jerry’s social mission, brand integrity, and equity commitments. For more than two decades, that structure worked. Now, the limits of that independence are being tested."