Maybe now Ben & Jerry’s will be less woke. Ben & Jerry’s co-founder announced that he had quit the company he had founded with his friend Ben Cohen in 1978. Jerry Greenfield announced his resignation after revealing he had lost the ability to pursue the company’s independent values after Unilever acquired it. Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has resigned after 47 years, claiming their parent company, Unilever, has silenced the brand’s political activism — which has included speaking out in support of Gaza and human rights. pic.twitter.com/5JrR6qpltQ — Pop Base (@PopBase) September 17, 2025 CBS News reported more on the co-founder’s decision to step down: The co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s has resigned from the ice cream brand after saying his company, known for its social activism, has lost “the independence to pursue our values” under the ownership of British giant Unilever. Jerry Greenfield’s announcement follows the company’s failure in 2022 to block Unilever from selling its ice cream in West Bank settlements, which Ben & Jerry’s said would run counter to its values. Greenfield said he could “no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee” of the Vermont-based company, according to a statement published on X by co-founder Ben Cohen late Tuesday. The brand was founded by the two school friends in 1978 and acquired by Unilever in 2000. It is now owned by the Magnum Ice Cream Company, a Unilever subsidiary. Greenfield said his company “has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power” at a time when the current U.S. administration is “attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community.” “It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone,” he added. After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together. I’m sharing his words as he resigns from Ben & Jerry’s. His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by @MagnumGlobal #FreeBenAndJerrys pic.twitter.com/EZXGRjs76a — Ben Cohen (@YoBenCohen) September 17, 2025 Reuters reported in recent months that the ice cream brand has been vocal against President Trump’s immigration policies: Ben & Jerry’s has in recent months been a lonely voice among well-known brands speaking out on issues like Gaza and President Donald Trump’s immigration stance, while other U.S. companies back away from diversity pledges, and their executives largely refrain from commenting on the White House’s policies. Last month, Microsoft fired four workers for protests over the company’s ties to Israel, including two who briefly occupied the company president’s office. Ben & Jerry’s independent social mission board, which Greenfield and Cohen do not sit on, has led the activism. The sale of Ben & Jerry’s to Unilever in 2000 allowed the brand to maintain the board, with authority over the social mission but not business operations. A spokesperson for Unilever and its Magnum Ice Cream Co said that it “disagrees with Greenfield’s perspective and has sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world.” Unilever shares were unmoved on Wednesday.