Conservative groups criticized the programs and threatened to sue the companies over them.
The owners of Facebook Meta Platforms and Amazon are canceling various programs before the return of Republican Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States, while they are strongly opposed to what is happening.
Some of the largest US businesses have been scaling back their diversity efforts, years after pushing for more inclusive policies following the protests that followed the police killings of George Floyd and others. Black Americans in 2020.
Meta is winding down its diversity, equity, and integration (DEI) programs, including those that hire, train and select salespeople, it said in an internal memo to employees Friday — the latest in a series of results excited by conservatives.
Less than two weeks later, Meta said it abandoned its US surveillance programpromoted Republican Joel Kaplan to its director of international affairs and appointed Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a close friend of Trump, to its board.
Amazon, in a December memo to employees seen by Reuters on Friday, said it was “eliminating old software and equipment” related to stand-up and integration, with the aim of completing the process by the end of 2024.
'Showing change'
Conservative groups criticized the programs and threatened to sue the companies because of them, inspired by the decision of the US Supreme Court in 2023 that. he did something in the university admissions process.
This week, Elon Musk and Trump allies criticized DEI programs for hindering the response to the Los Angeles wildfires, without evidence.
“Laws and policies related to diversity, inclusion and inclusion in the United States are changing,” Janelle Gale, Meta's vice president of people, said in the memo, which was seen by Reuters and first reported by Axios.
Gale cited recent Supreme Court decisions that “signal a shift” in how US courts will deal with DEI programs moving forward.
“The word 'DEI' has started to be said again, partly because some people see it as a tendency to show that they don't like some groups more than others,” he wrote.
In fact, this means that Meta will no longer have a team that focuses on diversity and inclusion, and the company said that it will instead “focus on how to use fair and sustainable methods that reduce bias for all, no matter where you are.”
The company will also eliminate “diversity” recruitment, a process that includes candidates from different backgrounds to be considered for each open position.
One employee commented on Gale's memo, calling it “depressing to read”.
Other companies that have recently terminated DEI programs include McDonald's, automaker Ford, Walmart and agricultural equipment manufacturer John Deere.