The stated intention of the messaging from the &quot;activist&quot; investors is to persuade a majority of shareholders that their vision for the company is better than the current leadership&#x27;s, thus forcing change at the company.<p>The effect of the messaging is usually that the company implements some of the changes themselves to avoid being forced or ousted, which also usually leads to short-term stock gains, which is what the activist investor was after in the first place.