Meta Platforms is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, including those for recruitment, training and supplier selection, it said in a memo to employees posted on an internal company forum Friday.
The move comes close to the inauguration of US president Donald Trump, as the company tries to mend relations with the leader who has criticized its political content policies and threatened to Their leader in prison.
“The legal and policy landscape around diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources at Meta, said in the memo, seen by Reuters.
'Shift' in how US courts deal with DEI programs
Gale called the recent Supreme Court decisions “signaling a trend” in how US courts will deal with DEI programs in the future.
“The term 'DEI' has also come under fire, in part because some understand it as a practice that suggests preferential treatment for some groups over others,” she wrote.
Meta will continue to find job candidates from diverse backgrounds, but will stop using a “different slate approach,” Gale said.
The company will no longer have a dedicated team focused on DEI, she wrote. Chief Diversity Officer Maxine Williams will take a new role at Meta, focusing on outreach and engagement, according to the memo.
One employee commented on Gale's memo that it was “difficult to read.”
The US tech giant elected three new directors to its board on Monday, including Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a close friend of Trump.
Last week, Meta promoted prominent Republican Joel Kaplan to become its chief global affairs officer, replacing Nick Clegg.
