A wave of companies are pulling back on their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments following President Donald Trump’s election and his efforts to eliminate federal DEI programs. Target became the latest company to nix its DEI goals, citing 'evolving external landscape' and 'many years of data.' This news highlights a growing trend of corporations scaling back on DEI initiatives, while Costco remains committed to its diversity program.
DEI Under Fire: Target Rolls Back Diversity Plans As Costco Keeps Them—Here’s The List Of Major Companies Dropping DEI DEI Under Fire: Target Rolls Back Diversity Plans As Costco Keeps Them—Here’s The List Of Major Companies Dropping DEI Target became the latest company to nix diversity, equity and inclusion goals Friday, as a growing wave of companies pull back on their DEI commitments following President Donald Trump’s election, as Trump has already moved to eliminate federal DEI programs and slammed DEI at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.
merchandise line in response to conservative backlash, announced it would pull back on racial hiring targets, end its Racial Equity Action and Change program and cease participation in external diversity surveys, with chief community impact and equity officer Kiera Fernandez telling employees in a memo the decisions were made based on “many years of data” and an effort to stay “in step with the evolving external landscape.”shareholders overwhelmingly voted to reject a proposal that would have obligated the company to review the potential risks of maintaining its DEI initiatives, with more than 98% of shareholders voting against the proposal.Conservative groups, including the National Legal and Policy Center and National Center for Public Policy Research, have filed shareholder proposals urging Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase to review and possibly end their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, while the NLPC and Heritage Foundation urged Bank of America and Citigroup to review whether they have surveilled customers based on religious or political beliefs, thereported .issued on the first day of his second term, President Donald Trump ordered the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government—but it has also threatens toin a statement to Forbes it had closed its DEI office—a —frequent target of attacks by Republicans—in December, prompting President-elect Donald Trump to demand the agency “preserve and retain all records” relating to the shuttered office as he accused the FBI of “corruption” in a, citing employee programs that were established to address a “specific disparity,” though it did not specify what would be discontinued (Amazon operates employee-ledin a memo the company ended several programs intended to increase its hiring of diverse candidates, including its equity and inclusion training programs, after Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of people, said the “legal and policy landscape” surrounding DEI efforts in the U.S. is “changing.”it would abandon specific diversity targets, cease participation in external surveys that measure company demographics and would rename its diversity team to “Global Inclusion Team,” citing the Supreme Court decision that ended affirmative action at universities and similar DEI walkbacks by other corporations, though it said it would continue to report demographic information in its own annual report.it would abandon its DEI commitments, including winding down a Center for Racial Equity nonprofit it had founded in 2020 with a $100 million, 5-year commitment, ceasing third-party sellers from offering certain LGBTQ-themed products on its website, no longer participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s external surveys and phasing out the term “diversity, equity and inclusion” in company documents.Boeing dismantled its global diversity, equity and inclusion department and redirected its staff to its human resources department to focus on talent acquisition and employee experience,a feminist-themed ad that sparked conservative backlash, said it would abandon supplier diversity quotas, shift DEI training sessions to focus on business objectives and stop participating in external diversity surveys, despite previously receiving a perfect 100 from the Human Rights Campaign for its LGBTQ policies.said in an internal memo it would combine its employee resource groups into one umbrella organization, cease participating in HRC surveys and would stop participating in external events like Pride parades.informed employees it would stop participating in external diversity surveys and would evolve its employee resource groups to focus on networking and mentorship to all employees, citing the evolving “external and legal environment related to political and social issues.”told employees it would no longer tie executive compensation to DEI progress, remove workforce and supplier diversity goals and cease participating in the HRC index, citing the shifting “legal and external landscape.”said it abandoned its “DEI function” in April and said it does not utilize diversity quotas for hiring or suppliers, and that it would no longer participate in HRC surveys or partner with sponsors that do not focus on its “loyal riding community.”said it would no longer support “cultural awareness” events like Pride parades and would audit company documents to remove “socially-motivated messages,” adding that diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been company policy, though it said it would continue to internally track employee diversity.Several business leaders addressed diversity, equity and inclusion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, while Trump railed against it in his speech on Thursday. In his, Trump said his administration is moving to “abolish all discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion nonsense” in both the government and the private sector, and said the United States will become a “merit-based country.” But some CEOs who attended the forum this week defended the practice,, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, who said his company will “continue to reach out to the Black community and Hispanic community, LGBT community, and the veteran community.” Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman said attitudes toward diversity “come and go with different political cycles” and her company will continue to value “diversity of views and diversity of backgrounds.” Vista Equity Partners CEO Robert Smith said “diversity is a great thing in business,” stating diverse teams are more productive.spoke with three unnamed tech executives at Davos, all of whom run companies that have contracts with the U.S. government, who said their companies would not abandon DEI, though they may need to find new words to describe their diversity efforts as the term “DEI” becomes more politically charged. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan tolddiversity has “commercial logic,” while Bain & Company executive Alexander Schmitz said private equity firms that roll back DEI will likely have a “problem in fundraising.” Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nationsslammed DEI at Davos, stating companies are “pulling back from DEI and I welcome that” because Americans “don't want to be a label.”, Trump slammed the “infiltration” of the federal government with DEI programs, citing an executive order former President Joe Biden issued on his first day in office that directed federal agencies to address racial inequities. Trump’s executive order directs federal government agencies to no longer consider diversity in hiring and revise employee training programs to gut DEI training. The order also demands the elimination of “environmental justice” offices and positions in federal agencies. During his, Trump vowed he would “end the government policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life,” stating he would “forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.” The Office of Personnel Managementto federal department heads on Tuesday informing them all employees who work in DEI programs must be placed on leave by Wednesday, and the agencies must submit a written plan for dismissing the employees by Jan. 31.Costco has refused to back down from its DEI policies. The company’s board of directors unanimously recommended shareholders vote against a proposal brought by a conservative think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research, that would require Costco to reevaluate its DEI policies. Thesimilarly urged shareholders to reject a proposal raised by the same think tank, accusing the group of “inappropriately” attempting to “restrict Apple's ability to manage its own ordinary business operations.” Delta Airlines also said it remains committed to DEI on a Jan. 10. Peter Carter, the company’s executive vice president for external affairs, told a reporter the company is not reevaluating DEI or sustainability policies because “they are actually critical to our business,” stating DEI is “about talent and that's been our focus.” Cisco CEOtold Axios “a diverse workforce is better” because “there’s too much business value.” Robbins said the DEI backlash is being treated as a “single issue” when it is really “made up of 150 different things, and maybe seven of them got a little out of hand,” but those few things are “going to get solved and then you're going to be left with common sense.”A conservative think tank, the group pushes shareholder resolutions at many companies that would roll back corporate DEI and environmental regulations. The group launched itsin 2007 to combat what it calls the “woke takeover of American corporate life” through these proposals. Apple previously rebuffed the National Center for Public Policy Research in 2014, when shareholdersthat would have forced the company to disclose more about the cost effectiveness of its investments to combat climate change. Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly became visibly angry at the company’s annual meeting when a NCPPR representative asked him questions, stating the company considers more than just profitability when it invests in environmental causes. “If you want me to do things only for —which can include employer-mandated diversity trainings, resource groups for underrepresented minorities and commitments to equity in hiring—swept corporate America after the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. But recently, these programs have faced legal and political challenges and a wave of backlash from conservative critics and free speech advocates, who consider DEI policies racist and “.” Billionaires Bill Ackman and Elon Musk are among the anti-DEI crusade’s most outspoken advocates. Ackman became DEI’s fiercest crusader last year when he pushed for the eventual resignation of former Harvard University President Claudine Gay after her remarks to Congress about antisemitism on campus following the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel were widely criticized. Ackman, in anslamming DEI, claimed he had learned Gay was hired through a Harvard presidential search process that primarily considered candidates who met certain diversity criteria, though a Harvard spokesman, including Alabama, Iowa and Utah banning DEI at public colleges and universities. The wave of conservative backlash against companies deemed “woke” picked up significant steam in 2023 whenbecame the target of a conservative boycott after it briefly collaborated with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a marketing promotion. The boycott tanked the beer brand’s sales and unleashed a wave of smallerRobby Starbuck, a former music video director, has led the charge on social media against companies that are committed to DEI policies and has orchestrated public pressure campaigns to get companies to abandon these commitments. Several of the companies that have abandoned DEI policies in recent months were targeted by Starbuck, whohis followers to boycott companies including John Deere, Harley-Davidson and Lowe’s. Starbuck has claimed credit for these policy changes, stating in aon X in November he had threatened to expose the “wokeness” at Walmart, but claimed he had “productive conversations” with the company that influenced its decision to scale back its DEI efforts. Starbuck againfor McDonald’s rolling back its DEI policies, posting on X that he had told the company he would publish a “story on woke policies there” three days before it announced its DEI policy changes.the anti-DEI crusade in its fall 2024 magazine as a “coordinated campaign led by the same actors who have been driving the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislative and legal attacks across the country.” HRC called out Starbuck for “misrepresenting” the Equality Index as a “coercive tool forcing businesses to adopt ‘woke’ policies,” instead clarifying it is a “voluntary, widely respected benchmark for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.”has frequently defended DEI, stating in April he believes “DEI is a positive because I see its impact on bottom lines,” citing the hundreds of companies he invests in., Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ruled race-based affirmative action programs in college admissions violate the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kindContinuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejectedAttempts or tactics that put the site security at riskProtect your community.
DEI Diversity Equity Inclusion Corporate Social Responsibility Political Climate Business Trends
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Costco Board Urges Shareholders to Reject Proposal Ending DEI ProgramCostco's board of directors is urging shareholders to vote against a proposal that would eliminate the wholesale retailer's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program. The board argues that DEI efforts enhance employee attraction and retention, contributing to Costco's success. Shareholders will vote on the proposal brought by the National Center for Public Policy Research, which challenges the legality of Costco's DEI program following the Supreme Court's ruling in SFFA v. Harvard.
Read more »
Costco's New Year's Hours 2024 and 2025: When is Costco Open?Find out Costco's holiday hours for New Year's Eve 2024 and New Year's Day 2025. Learn when stores are open and closed, and how to find a Costco location near you.
Read more »
Costco Faces Boycott Threats From Trump Supporters Over DEI PoliciesCostco is facing calls for a boycott from supporters of former President Donald Trump after the company's board of directors refused to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Read more »
Costco board member defends DEI practices, rebukes companies scrapping policiesDespite a growing list of companies abandoning DEI, one Costco board member has called for 'maximizing' it in the workplace as the wholesaler grapples with a shareholder dispute.
Read more »
Costco Board Member Backs DEI Despite Corporate Trend to Abandon ItA Costco board member is urging businesses to 'maximize' DEI, contrasting with the growing trend of companies dropping diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Read more »
Costco Rejects Proposal to Evaluate Business Risks of DEI PracticesCostco is facing pushback from a conservative think tank over its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The National Center for Public Policy Research submitted a proposal urging Costco to evaluate any business risks posed by its DEI programs, citing potential litigation and reputational damage. However, Costco's board unanimously voted to reject the proposal, arguing that their commitment to DEI is essential and that the requested report would not provide meaningful information. This decision reflects Costco's stance in contrast to other companies that have scaled back or rolled back DEI initiatives.
Read more »