In news that should surprise no one, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, becomes the latest company to end its DEI programs.
As reported by CNBC (citing the initial report from Axios), Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of people, announced in an internal memo that Meta plans to end several internal programs “designed to increase the company’s hiring of diverse candidates,” the latest change ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second presidential term.
For those who have been following Meta’s founder Mark Zuckerberg’s actions over the past few months, notably his restored relationship with Trump, this should come as no surprise.
Gale’s memo, in part, says:
The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing. The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. It reaffirms long standing principles that discrimination should not be tolerated or promoted on the basis of inherent characteristics. The term “DEI” has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.
At Meta, we have a principle of serving everyone. This can be achieved through cognitively diverse teams, with differences in knowledge, skills, political views, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Such teams are better at innovating, solving complex problems and identifying new opportunities which ultimately helps us deliver on our ambition to build products that serve everyone. On top of that, we’ve always believed that no one should be given — or deprived — of opportunities because of protective characteristics, and that has not changed.
Among the changes, Meta is ending its “Diverse Slate Approach” of considering qualified candidates from underrepresented groups. It is also ending its diversity supplier program and equity & inclusion training programs. Gale also announced the disbanding of Meta’s DEI team, moving Chief Diversity Officer Maxine Williams into a new role focused on accessibility and engagement.
Several Meta employees criticize the new policy. In a comment that got reactions from more than 600 colleagues, one employee wrote, “If you don’t stand by your principles when things get difficult, they aren’t values. They’re hobbies.”
The DEI policy changes are the latest in a series of policy reversals over the past month. Last week, Meta replaced global affairs head Nick Clegg with longtime colleague Joel Kaplan, who has strong ties to the Republican party. Earlier this week, Zuckerberg announced a new, heavily criticized “free speech” policy that marks the end of its third-party fact-checking program.
The news also comes after Meta joined Amazon in donating $1 million to Trump’s Inauguration Fund. Zuckerberg congratulated Trump on his victory in his app, writing, “Congratulations to President Trump on a decisive victory. We have great opportunities ahead of us as a country. Looking forward to working with you and your administration.”
Well, looks like Zuckerberg & Trump’s working relationship is only beginning…
