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Food Fight: CEO Ripped Rival in Secret Posts

Whole Foods boss trashed Wild Oats in Yahoo forum

By Peter Fearon, Newser Staff

Posted Jul 12, 2007 4:54 AM CDT

(Newser) – The founder of Whole Foods secretly posted messages on a Yahoo stock investors forum—boosting his own company and damning competitor Wild Oats, the Wall Street Journal reports. Now, as CEO John Mackey tries to buy the company he trash-talked, the posts that ran for... Read full story »

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(NEWSER) - A federal judge refused to block Whole Foods' $565 million purchase of the company's organic supermarket rival, Wild Oats Markets, despite an effort by the Federal Trade Commission to prevent the merger. The merger could go through next week if there is no appeal, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

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(NEWSER) - The CEO of Whole Foods apologized yesterday for boosting his company and posting snide comments about a rival supermarket chain in Internet forums and said he "had fun doing it." John Mackey's actions over the last 8 years have already triggered an SEC investigation, and the company's board said yesterday it will launch its probe, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

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(NEWSER) - John Mackey, the Whole Foods CEO who posted attacks on a competitor in Yahoo financial forums, is under scrutiny by the SEC for his anonymous mischief-making. The federal agency is informally investigating whether the posts violate "fair disclosure" rules. They could be a problem for Mackey if officials find that he was deliberately trying to manipulate Whole Foods stock. More»

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Food Fight: CEO Ripped Rival in Secret Posts

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