If I ran a publicly traded company, I'd direct marketing to promote my company as something distasteful to intentionally crash the stock. Then I'd buy the bottom and release a public apology to get my customers and investors back. I'd make even more gains if I bought puts on my stock, on the way down before initiating this strategy. The public wouldn't boycott my company forever — we've already put the competition out of business, and mom & pop's are long gone.
It would probably be a good idea to choose something distasteful that's also taboo to criticize. I could buy off influencers to promote the hatred on the way down, and then pay them again to promote it on the way up. They're obligated to keep their mouths shut if they get involved with my strategy too since that would be insider trading.
After all, I have a fiduciary duty to my investors, and this is a long term plan meant to bolster future valuation by reducing debt. It's not like this is an illegal 'short and distort' strategy; you'd have to justify that my reasons were meant to crash the stock, and again, it's taboo for you to criticize my reasons.