“Meta Scraps DEI Initiatives in Bold Move Catering to MAGA Crowd!”
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced the cancellation of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in a significant policy shift. According to an employee memo obtained by Axios, the move aligns with changes in the legal and political landscape, reflecting CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s apparent alignment with President-elect Donald Trump’s administration and the broader anti-“woke” MAGA movement.
Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, cited recent Supreme Court decisions as a key factor. “The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI,” Gale wrote. She added that the term “DEI” has become contentious, as some perceive it as promoting preferential treatment for certain groups.
Meta will no longer set representation goals based on race or gender and will eliminate the requirement for diverse candidate pools in hiring. Instead, the company will prioritize practices that “mitigate bias for all, no matter your background,” Gale said. Supplier diversity programs are also being shut down, and Meta’s chief diversity officer, Maxine Williams, will transition to a new role within the company.
This announcement follows Zuckerberg’s recent decision to loosen restrictions on hate speech and transfer content moderation responsibilities to users, marking another major policy shift for the tech giant.
Meta Reverses DEI Commitments Amid Political Shifts
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has joined a growing list of corporations walking back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives launched in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 murder and America’s racial reckoning. Other companies, including McDonald’s, Walmart, Ford, and Amazon, have similarly scaled back or eliminated DEI policies.
In a December memo, Amazon announced plans to “wind down outdated programs and materials” related to representation and inclusion by the end of 2024. Despite these efforts, data shows persistent underrepresentation of employees of color at senior levels in corporate America. A 2023 USA TODAY investigation found that white men comprise 7 in 10 executive officers at the nation’s largest companies, with 1 in 7 of these firms having leadership teams exclusively made up of white men.
Pro-Trump Moves by Meta
Meta’s DEI rollback reflects broader political shifts as CEO Mark Zuckerberg signals alignment with the Trump administration. With Republicans controlling Congress and advocating for stricter Big Tech regulations, Zuckerberg has taken steps to strengthen ties with conservative allies.
Meta recently appointed UFC president and Trump ally Dana White to its board of directors and promoted Republican Joel Kaplan to oversee global affairs. The company also pledged $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, with Kaplan emphasizing the administration’s focus on “promoting American business and technological leadership.”
“This is ultimately about doing what’s best for our company,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital, defending the decision to cancel DEI programs. “This means evaluating people as individuals and sourcing talent from diverse pools, but never making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics like race or gender.”
Backlash From Diversity Advocates
Diversity advocates criticized Meta’s decision. Joelle Emerson, CEO of diversity consulting firm Paradigm, questioned the company’s framing. “Every time a company shutters DEI programs in favor of ‘fairness and objectivity for everyone,’ I wonder why that wasn’t the focus from the beginning,” Emerson wrote on LinkedIn. “Building inclusive cultures requires asking, ‘Who is our culture NOT fair for today?’”
Civil Rights Leader Resigns
Roy Austin, Meta’s vice president of civil rights and deputy general counsel, announced his resignation late Friday. A former civil rights attorney under the Obama administration, Austin was hired in 2021 to help Meta address racial hatred and violence on its platforms. His hiring followed a scathing civil rights audit that faulted Meta for failing to curb divisive rhetoric and misinformation, including false claims by then-President Trump.
“The prioritization of free expression over all other values, such as equality and non-discrimination, is deeply troubling,” Laura Murphy, who led the audit, wrote in her findings. Meta’s latest moves raise fresh concerns about the company’s commitment to fostering inclusive and equitable practices.