That Ben & Jerry’s Resignation Letter

“If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all.”
– Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s

That’s the line. The heartbreaker that carries the weight of forty seven years. It lands like a farewell and a warning all at once.

If you came here looking for us to armchair quarterback this moment, share critique, or stack up the should haves, sorry to disappoint.

That is not what this is.

We are here to acknowledge the moment for what it is. What it means. To name the heartbreak and give it space to be heard. To sit with Jerry’s words as a eulogy of deep loss. The loss of building something you love, selling it for the same germane reasons so many founders do, to ensure the health and scale of a well loved company, and later fighting to buy it back, only to have those pleas fall on deaf ears. (Sound familiar, anyone?)

And to recognize what it signals beyond one company: the state of a nation where profit is too often placed over values. Profit over lives. Profit over humanity.

A Letter That Reads Like a Eulogy

Jerry’s resignation was not about spreadsheets, and it certainly wasn’t about the products. It was about something much bigger. It was about purpose. It was about voice. About being told that the values that animated a brand from day one — peace, justice, accountability — no longer had a place.

The ice cream was joyous, of course, and still is. But it was never the point. It was always a means to an end — a way to spark joy and laughter while building something deeper: a world rooted in kindness, fairness, justice, and humanity. Every pint was an invitation to believe that business could be a force for more than profit. That is what made Ben & Jerry’s a brand, an ethos, a movement.

“It was always about more than just ice cream; it was a way to spread love and invite others into the fight for equity, justice and a better world."

- Jerry Greenfield

And trust me, I live in Portland. We have plenty of incredible ice cream shops. Oprah’s favorite olive oil flavor from Salt & Straw is just a few blocks away. But that was never what set Ben & Jerry’s apart.

That is why this moment stings so deeply. Because the flavors may live on, but the freedom to speak the truth, to name what matters, is what made Ben & Jerry’s more than just a product.

The Wider Moment

This silencing does not exist in a vacuum. Around the world, authoritarian powers are working overtime to stifle dissent, erase uncomfortable truths, and muzzle those who dare to speak for peace and justice.

Jerry’s heartbreak is grounded in the chilling reality of what happens when voices are shut down because they make the powerful uncomfortable.

The Long View

“If the company couldn’t stand up for the things we believed, then it wasn’t worth being a company at all.”

That line is a challenge to every founder, every investor, every leader: What is a business worth if it will not stand up for what matters?

We can build companies that outlast us. But if they lose their voice, if they silence the mission that gave them life, then all that remains is just another profit machine.

Is that worth it? Is that in alignment with your purpose?

So be kind to one another. Speak your truth. Look out for each other. In a world of profiteers, maybe we find new ways, rooted in moral ambition, to fight back.

And finally, gratitude.

Ben and Jerry paved the way for so many of us building profit-for-purpose companies. They showed that business could be joyful and justice-driven all at once. And with this resignation, Jerry is still showing the way. Reminding us that purpose is worth protecting, even when it costs you dearly.