Google is dropping its diversity target of hiring more employees from “underrepresented groups” and is reviewing their DEI policies in the wake of President Donald Trump’s flurry of executive orders targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, the Wall Street Journal reported.
An employee email stated that Google would no longer pursue goals related to increasing minority representation in its workforce, and is “evaluating changes to our programs required to comply” with Trump’s executive orders combating DEI initiatives with federal contractors.
“We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year we’ve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there. We’ve updated our 10-k language to reflect this, and as a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.
GOOGLE, META, OTHER TECH GIANTS SLASH DEI-RELATED JOBS, RESOURCE GROUPS IN 2023: REPORT
The tech giant’s CEO Sundar Pichai announced in 2020 that the company would seek to increase the “leadership representation of underrepresented groups” 30% by 2025 as the U.S. was gripped in national turmoil following the police murder of George Floyd.
“Listening to the personal accounts of members of our Black Advisory Leadership Group and our Black+ Googlers has only reinforced for me the reality our Black communities face: one where systemic racism permeates every aspect of life, from interactions with law enforcement, to access to housing and capital, to health care, education, and the workplace,” Pichai wrote in a memo at the time.
META ENDS CORPORATE DEI PROGRAMS
Google is the latest domino to fall in Silicon Valley as company after company has announced that they are ending or rolling back their DEI initiatives. Meta announced that they are dropping their DEI initiatives in January following Trump’s historic election win. The social media conglomerate has also added UFC boss Dana White to their board and removed tampons from the men’s bathroom.
Amazon announced that they would be assessing their DEI policies in December, with HR executive Candi Castleberry telling employees that the company would be “evaluat[ing] their effectiveness.”
“We worked to unify employee groups together under one umbrella, and build programs that are open to all, rather than have individual groups build programs, we are focusing on programs with proven outcomes – and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture,” Castleberry wrote.
Paypal has also removed its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from its latest 10-K SEC filing. Its 2023 filing stated that the company believes that “fostering diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging (“DIE&B”) is critical to our global talent strategy and pivotal to building a culture that embraces individual characteristics, values diversity, minimizes barriers, and enhances feelings of security and support across the workplace,” but the entire section was removed from their 2024 filing.
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