With public companies more or less the only thing that shareholders can complain about in terms of the company being taken private is if the price is unfair (in

With public companies more or less the only thing that shareholders can complain about in terms of the company being taken private is if the price is unfair (in which case they can sue). Otherwise the only thing that the entity buying needs is the consent of the board and a majority shareholder vote, whether by buying a controlling share themselves on the open market or by negotiating with them. Usually the private buyer offers a price higher than the current public market cap to incentivize the shareholders to vote for a sale. (And yes, this means that in practice there is a compelled sale of some fraction of the stock at whatever price the majority agrees to)