Jeffrey Sonnenfeld became involved when more than a dozen companies unexpectedly pulled out of Russia following the invasion. While he didn’t foresee it, Sonnenfeld took notice of these companies, which included major players like Big Oil and Big Tech, and saw a need to address the situation.

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, director of research at the Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute, began to calibrate the truth of what companies had really done. They enlisted 50 students with expertise in various fields, including languages, financial analysis, and industry analysis, to help them distinguish between companies that had genuinely pulled out and those that hadn’t. They aimed to provide accurate information about companies’ actions in Russia.

The public list of companies’ efforts to withdraw from Russia catalyzed a stampede of companies leaving Russia. Over 1,100 companies have comprehensively pulled out, with an additional 200 semi-pulling out. This initiative significantly raised awareness and led to a substantial corporate exodus from Russia.

Yes, there were several legal threats, with some smaller European firms being particularly litigious. However, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and his team prevailed due to their thorough research and the transparent posting of their findings for public scrutiny. They also had to deal with entities attempting to hijack the cause with similar-sounding names and commercialize their proprietary data.

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld has encountered challenges in the form of misinformation campaigns during his various activist endeavors. For instance, in the case of defending Ellen Kullman at DuPont, he faced false accusations and misinformation campaigns. In response, he worked to correct the record and ensure the truth prevailed.

What was the impact of Jeffrey Sonnenfeld’s efforts on the corporate pullout from Russia?