In October 2018, staff at Le Monde learned that Křetínský had purchased 49% of Matthieu Pigasse's stake in the company. Le Monde's Independency Group, a minority shareholder that aims to protect the paper's editorial independence, had not been informed of the sale, and asked Pigasse and Křetínský to sign an "approval agreement" that would give the Independency Group the right to approve or reject any controlling shareholder. , they had not done so.
