After interviewing four of them, Whole Foods said it would consider two, on the condition<br />that Jana back down from its public aggression, Mr. Mackey said.<br />So over the last two years, as Whole Foods’ stock price sunk<br />and activist investors called for changes, Mr. Mackey took the challenges to his company personally.<br />On Friday, Whole Foods announced it would sell itself to Amazon, a transaction — code-named “Project Tree” by bankers —<br />that stands to reshape the entire grocery industry, swaths of e-commerce and possibly the retail landscape at large.<br />In an effort to broker peace with Jana, Whole Foods said it was willing to consider some of the candidates that Jana put forward for the board.<br />But the deep pockets of Mr. Bezos offer Whole Foods a way to escape the harsh glare of public<br />investors who demanded cost cuts, shake-ups in management and on the board and more.<br />Amazon — the leading force in e-commerce — was among the companies that had initial discussions with the Whole Foods board.
