I dn't know how many of us here have read it, and it has always remained a possible red herring (like so many others) but I read the book "Bad Twin". Supposedly the LOST producers decided not to publish more tied in books like it because Bad Twin gave away a major clue, much to thier displeasure (how that could have happened without the producers full knowledge always made this "info" suspect, but anyway).

In the book, the Hanso Foundation is a subsidiery of the Widmore Corp. This is all just a background passing clue that has no relation to the actual plot of the book. But for almost 2 years now I've been had my whle theory about the Widmore connection because of this. And I read the book before we'd even heard the name Widmore on the show! So indeed it was a major clue. Then we were introduced to Penny W. and since then this clue continues to prove true. But obviously the show has caught up to that plot point. But now...

I like the whole "Ben caused a break between Hanso and Whidmore" theory. It would explain a lot. Because even though Ben killed the Dharma Initiative on the island, and the DI has become mostly defunct, it is obviously alive in some (withered) aspect. Like a dying ember. When Juliet was recruited, there is an official image to the mainland company. Ben has always maintained some business relationship on the mainland, evidenced in many ways (the passports and money, the photo of him held by the people on the freighter, etc.) If there was no actual mainland company (be it "Dharma" or be it the name used when Juliette was recruited) why would Ben have all these busy, professional, ongoing connections on the mainland? Ben could have just killed the DI then lived in harmony with the Originals. But no, he's kept up some elaborate professional scheme of some sort.

I can't quite work it out, but Ben has created some new entity which didn't obliterate all of Dharma, but rather made it subordinate to his "company" - like he came to own or command what remains of it.

Just talking it out here....