Meta and Amazon axe diversity initiatives joining US corporate rollback

Meta and Amazon are axing their diversity programmes, joining firms across corporate America that are rolling back hiring and training initiatives criticised by conservatives, citing legal and political risks.

The shift comes just days after Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said it was ending a truth-checking programme criticised by President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans.

In a memo to staff about its selection, which affects, hiring, supplier and training efforts, Meta cited a “shifting legal and policy landscape”.

Walmart and McDonalds are among the other companies to have made similar decisions regarding diversity efforts since Trump won re-election.

In its memo to staff, which was first reported by Axios and confirmed by the BBC, Meta – the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – cited a Supreme Court ruling concerning race in college admissions, while also noting that the term “DEI” (diversity, stake and inclusion) had become “charged”.

The tech giant said it would continue to look for diverse staff, but complete its current way, which seeks to make selections from a pool of diverse candidates.

In a December memo to employees, Amazon said it was “winding down outdated programs and materials” related to representation and inclusion, aiming to complete the procedure by the complete of 2024.

“Rather than have person groups construct programs, we are focusing on programs with proven outcomes — and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive population,” Candi Castleberry, Amazon’s VP of inclusive experiences and technology, wrote in the note which was first reported by Bloomberg on Friday.

monetary firms JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock, also pulled out of groups concentrated on risks from climate transformation this week.

The moves are a sign of the acceleration of a retreat that started two years ago, as Republicans ramped up attacks on firms such as BlackRock and Disney, accusing them of “woke” progressive activism and threatening political punishment.

large brands such as Bud Light and Target also faced backlash and boycotts related to their efforts to appeal to LGBTQ customers.

Many of the diversity, stake and inclusion initiatives were put in place after the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted in 2020 following George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police.

Recent court decisions have bolstered critics of the programmes, who said that they were discriminatory.

The Supreme Court in 2023 struck down the correct for private universities to consider race in admissions decisions.

Another court of appeals ruling invalidated a Nasdaq policy that would have required companies listed on that stake trade to have at least one woman, racial minority or LGBTQ person on their board or explain why not.

Meta said it was also ending its efforts to work with suppliers who are “diverse” but will instead focus on tiny and medium-sized companies.

It also plans to stop offering “stake and inclusion” training and instead propose programmes that “mitigate bias for all, no matter your background”.

Meta declined to comment on the memo, information of which was immediately met with both criticism and festivity.

“I’m sitting back and enjoying every second of this,” said conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who has taken capitalization for successfully campaigning against the policies at companies such as Ford, John Deere and Harley-Davidson.

LGBTQ advocacy throng Human Rights Campaign said workplace inclusion policies assist to attract and retain top staff and had been “directly tied to long-term business growth”.

“Those who abandon these commitments are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders” RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, the elder director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace equity Program said.

Meta’s shift comes just days after the tech giant said it was ending a truth-checking programme criticised by Trump and Republicans and elevated conservatives to key leadership positions.

In a nearly three-hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg said he had always been concerned about being the arbiter of “truth” and was “ill-prepared” when the issue first heated up after the 2016 election.

He said the demands to receive down information became unreasonable under the Biden administration. For example, he said the corporation faced pressure during the pandemic to remove content like statements about vaccine side effects.

That helped to generate a wider political backlash, he said, including his own.

“I feel like I have much greater command now of what I ponder the policies should be,” he said, adding that he felt the US government “should be defending its companies … not be the tip of the spear attacking”.

“When the US does that to its tech industry, it’s basically just open period around the rest of the globe,” he added.