The explanation was pretty clear and coherent: The CEO was no longer adhering to the mission of the non-profit (which the board was upholding). But they found

The explanation was pretty clear and coherent: The CEO was no longer adhering to the mission of the non-profit (which the board was upholding). But they found themselves alone in that it turns out the employees (who were employed by the for-profit company) and investors (MSFT in particular) didn't care about the mission and wanted to follow the money instead. So the board had no choice but to capitulate and leave.