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Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerrys, is leaving the iconic ice cream brand he started in 1978 with pal Ben Cohen, after ongoing political disputes with British parent company Unilever. “After 47 years, Jerry has made the difficult decision to step down from the company we built together,” Cohen wrote on X. “Im sharing his words as he resigns from Ben & Jerrys. His legacy deserves to be true to our values, not silenced by @MagnumGlobal.” Cohen ended the social media post with the hashtag #FreeBenAndJerrys, before sharing Greenfield’s letter online. In that letter, Greenfield said, its with a broken heart that Ive decided I can no longer, in good conscience . . . remain an employee,” and accused Unilever of curbing the ice cream brand’s independence to stand up and speak out in support of peace, justice, and human rightsvalues he claimed were protected under its merger agreement. The two sold the Vermont-based ice cream brand to Unilever 25 years ago in 2000, but the the relationship between the companies has since eroded, according to CNN. Ben & Jerrys is now part of The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC), which Unilever recently spun off, and is now operating as a standalone global ice cream business worth an estimated $8.6 billion as of last year. A Unilever spokesperson told Fast Company that TMICC is expected list in mid-November in Amsterdam, London, and New York, and will be incorporated in the Netherlands. We will be forever grateful to Jerry for his role in co-founding such an amazing ice cream company . . . and addressing social causes into a remarkable success story,” a spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company told Fast Company. “We disagree with his perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerrys powerful values-based position in the world.” Ben & Jerrys ended sales in the West Bank in 2021, saying the political situation in the occupied Palestinian territories was inconsistent with the values of the socially conscious brand, drawing criticism from Israeli officials. Last year, Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever, claiming the parent company was trying to stop its effort to express support for Palestinians and a Gaza ceasefire. They later alleged Unilever threatened, then ousted CEO Dave Stever for defending the brands social mission, thereby breaching the terms of its merger, per the Washington Post.
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E-Commerce
As the COVID-19 pandemic wound down, people began reflecting on the strange way it had warped their sense of time. The feeling became known as the pandemic skip: the sense of having lost milestones and experiences while life was on hold. Five years later, the sensation persists, now rebranded as the COVID pause. @himmothychalamet OP: @burrbrii #CovidPause #LostYears #SocialMediaEra #PandemicLife #FeelingYounger original sound – Himmothy chalamet I still feel like I felt when COVID started, one TikTok user said. I dont feel like I aged. Though nearing 38, she explained that she still feels more like the 32-year-old she was when the lockdowns began. Others echoed the sentiment. COVID stole my 20s. Im gonna be 29 soon and I still feel like Im 23 when covid started, or even about to be 26? one person wrote. Another added, I turned 33 this year and I still feel like I’m in my late 20s. A third summed it up: Yup. Total time warp. On Reddit, one user described the transformation more starkly: going in the pandemic I was a kid and when it was over I was an adult working a nine-to-five. They wondered whether the COVID-19 pause was real or are people just making up something new? Psychologists sometimes use the term arrested development to describe being stuck at the emotional age when a trauma or stressor occurred. In this case, that trauma was the pandemic. With education, careers, relationships, and independence all disrupted, many feel those formative years were stolen. Whether its arrested development or a kind of Peter Pan syndrome, the result is the same: minds and bodies feel out of sync. The COVID pause is so real, said a TikTok user. But he offered a silver lining: It took so much away from us that were no longer ashamed of doing certain things, like dancing on camera on TikTok.
Category:
E-Commerce
Artificial intelligence could boost the value of trade in goods and services by nearly 40% by 2040, but without adequate policies it could also exacerbate economic divides, a new World Trade Organization report warned on Wednesday. Lower trade costs and enhanced productivity could drive substantial increases in trade and GDP by 2040, with global trade projected to rise by 34-37% under various scenarios, according to the WTO’s World Trade Report. Global GDP could also increase by 12-13%, it said. “AI could be a bright spot for trade in an increasingly complex trading environment,” said the Deputy Director General of the WTO, Johanna Hill, commenting on the annual report that analyses trends in the multilateral trading system. Acknowledging current turbulence in the world trading system, Hill noted that AI was reshaping the future of the global economy and international trade, with the potential to reduce trade costs and boost productivity. Global trade rules, governed by the Geneva-based watchdog, have faced major disruption this year following a slew of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. The report highlighted how businesses could reduce costs in logistics, regulatory compliance and communications. “AI-driven translation technologies can make communication faster and more cost-effective, particularly benefiting small producers and retailers by enabling them to expand into global markets,” the report said. Such advancements could help increase export growth in low-income countries by as much as 11%, provided they improved their digital infrastructure. However, the report cautioned that without targeted investment and inclusive policies, AI could deepen existing divides. “The effects of the development and deployment of AI are raising concerns that many workers, and even entire economies, could be left behind,” the report said. WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said policy makers needed to carefully manage the transition to AI. “AI could upend labor markets, transforming some jobs whilst displacing others. Managing these shifts demands investment in domestic policies to enhance education, skills, retraining and social safety nets,” she said during the launch event for the report in Geneva. To ensure the benefits of AI were shared widely, predictable trade supported by WTO rules and lower tariffs on raw materials essential for AI technologies, including semiconductors, were crucial, the WTO added. Olivia Le Poidevin, Reuters
Category:
E-Commerce
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