From a business perspective, was Ray Kroc’s handling of the McDonald brothers justified as part of scaling a company, or was it unethical?

you are basing all this on a movie. The McDonald brothers weren’t nearly as furious with Ray Kroc nor did they feel that they were as ripped off by him as a movie and some articles implied.

You can argue Ray Kroc was shrewed but I’m not sure he was unethical, at least in the ways you are assuming based on a movie or certain articles. Richard McDonald claimed he had no regrets. The money paid was a substantial sum in 1960 and the only aspect that was probably frustrating had to do with their original location

but it wasn’t as if they felt like victims, not nearly as much as hollywood wants us to think. Ray Kroc made them wealthier than they otherwise would have been and give them a retirement that they otherwise woudln’t have had. That doesn’t mean Kroc didn’t do things worthy of criticism but some want to paint this is a way that really isn’t supported by how the McDonald brothers ultimately felt