Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are frameworks designed to ensure equitable treatment and opportunities for all individuals. They mainly focus on historically underrepresented or marginalized groups, including those facing discrimination due to their identity or disabilities. These policies often incorporate training programs, resource networks, and inclusive recruitment strategies.
The roots of DEI initiatives can be traced back to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited employment discrimination based on race, religion, sex, color, or national origin. Advocates of DEI argue that these programs address historical inequities, while critics believe hiring decisions should be based solely on merit. DEI efforts encountered a significant challenge in 2023 when the Supreme Court’s decision to ban affirmative action in higher education sparked widespread debate.
- Amazon: Amazon removed references to diversity and inclusion from its 2024 annual report, CNBC reported on Feb. 7.
- AT&T: The company has scrapped a series of DEI initiatives, including encouraging employees to wear pins with preferred pronouns. It will no longer fund LGBTQ+ events and groups and its scholarships, which previously targeted minority groups, will be open to all, Bloomberg reported on March 7.
- Bank of America: The bank scrapped diversity hiring goals and changed references of “diversity” to “talent” and “opportunity,” Bloomberg reported on Feb. 25.
- BlackRock: The investment company dropped all references to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 25.
- Boeing: The aircraft maker got rid of its DEI department, Bloomberg reported in November 2024.
- Citigroup: The financial services company will end goals related to hiring a diverse workforce, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 19.
- Chipotle: The company deleted DEI language from its 2024 annual report, NPR reported on Feb. 7.
- Deloitte: The financial consulting firm told U.S. employees with government clients to remove pronouns from their email signatures and said it would stop creating diversity reports, The Financial Times reported on Feb. 11.
- Disney: Disney replaced references to “Diversity & Inclusion” with “Talent Strategy” and got rid of a website that highlighted diverse employees, Axios reported on Feb. 11.
- Ford: Ford changed the focus of employee resource groups and ended participation in external surveys, such as one measuring the workplace inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees, CNN reported in August 2024.
- General Motors: The carmaker scrubbed references to diversity, equity and inclusion from its 2024 report, NPR reported on Feb. 7.
- Goldman Sachs: The investment bank dropped a diversity requirement for the companies it takes public and removed “diversity and inclusion” language from its annual filing, Reuters reported on Feb. 28.
- Google: The tech company scrapped its diversity hiring goals and removed references to Black History Month, Women’s History Month and other cultural moments from Google Calendar, although it said that it began making those changes in mid-2024, CNBC reported on Feb. 10.
- John Deere: In July 2024, the company said it would no longer participate in cultural awareness events and remove “social motivated messages” from company materials.
- Harley-Davidson: The motorcycle company got rid of its “DEI function” in April 2024 and said it does not have diversity goals for employees or suppliers, Forbes reported.
- Lowe’s: The home improvement chain will stop participating in external events like Pride parades and combine its employee resource groups into a single organization, The Association Press reported in August 2024.
- McDonald’s: The company affirmed a commitment to “inclusion” in a Jan. 6 memo that also announced the end of diversity hiring goals, among other actions.
- Meta: The company ended equity and inclusion training programs and removed diversity hiring goals, CNBC reported on Jan. 10.
- Paramount: The entertainment company will eliminate goals to have a certain number of employees based on race, ethnicity and gender, The New York Times reported on Feb. 26.
- PBS: All employees working in DEI-related programs left the TV network when it closed its diversity, equity and inclusion office, NPR reported on Feb. 11.
- Pepsi: The retailer will remove diversity hiring goals and shift its supplier diversity program’s focus to small businesses, Forbes reported.
- Starbucks: Investors at Starbucks’ shareholders’ annual meeting in March 2024 voted to remove diversity goals from the criteria for executive bonuses, Newsweek reported. The chain faces multiple lawsuits, from both the state of Missouri and private individuals, related to its DEI programs.
- The Smithsonian Institution: The partially government-funded museum and research center closed its diversity office, The Washington Post reported on Jan. 28.
- Target: The retailer ended programs that helped Black employees advance in their careers and promoted Black-owned suppliers, The Associated Press reported on Jan. 24.
- Tractor Supply: The tractor company announced it would eliminate its DEI initiatives and carbon emissions goals in June 2024.
- Uber: Uber said it plans to drop DEI-related goals from its criteria for executive pay bonuses, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 25.
- Victoria’s Secret: The lingerie retailer replaced the word “diversity” with simply “inclusion and belonging” on its website and halted a goal to promote a certain percentage of Black workers, Bloomberg reported on March 5.
- Walmart: The world’s largest retailer said it will not renew a five-year commitment for an equity racial center created after the police killing of George Floyd. It will also no longer consider race and gender diversity of suppliers or participate in a survey measuring workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ people, NPR reported in November 2024.
- Warner Bros. Discovery: The media and entertainment company renamed all DEI efforts as “inclusion” and will no longer participate in external surveys, according to The Hollywood Reporter.