Meta cancels diversity programs in sweeping overhaul before Trump’s inauguration
Meta Platform announced that it will end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, citing changes in the legal and policy landscape in the US. The decision includes disbanding its DEI team and discontinuing the “diverse slate approach.”
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Meta Platform is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, which include recruiting, training and choosing suppliers, it said in a memo to employees posted on an internal company forum on Friday.
The move has been taken in view of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump Attempts to improve relationship with company leader which has criticized its political content policies and threatened its CEO with imprisonment.
“The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources at Meta, said in the memo.
Gale cited recent Supreme Court decisions that “signal a shift” in how U.S. courts will view DEI programs going forward.
“The term ‘DEI’ has also become popular in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests giving preferential treatment to some groups over others,” they wrote.
Meta will continue to bring in job candidates from diverse backgrounds, Gale said, but it will stop using a “diverse slate approach.”
The company will no longer have a dedicated team focused on DEI, he wrote. According to the memo, Chief Diversity Officer Maxine Williams will take on a new role at Meta, focused on outreach and engagement.
One employee commenting on Gale’s memo called it “disturbing to read.”
The US tech giant on Monday elected three new directors to its board, including Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO and close friend of Trump Dana White.
