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Changes at Meta come after company elevated prominent Republican to key position and donated to Trump
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Meta Platforms and Amazon are both rolling back diversity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, the latest in a string of major U.S. companies to withdraw from such work ahead of the White House comeback of Donald Trump, who has long railed against “woke” policies and diversity.
Meta plans to end its DEI programs altogether in training, hiring, and picking suppliers, according to an internal memo seen by Axios, citing a “changing” legal and policy landscape.
“The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI … 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,” Janelle Gale, the company’s vice president of human resources, reportedly wrote.
The change is the latest major rightward shift at Meta, which announced earlier this week it would ax fact-checking on its platforms Facebook and Instagram, long the target of criticism from the right.
This week, the company also added Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and Trump ally Dana White to its board, in a move seen as an attempt to gain favorable treatment from the new administration.
Amazon, meanwhile, said in a December message it was “winding down outdated programs and materials” related to DEI, Reuters
“We worked to unify employee groups together under one umbrella, and build programs that are open to all,” stated a memo explaining the change, obtained by FOX Business. “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.”
The company also reportedly scrubbed sections of its websites stating its positions on “Equity for Black people” and on LGBTQ+ rights.
Both Meta and Amazon have reportedly each contributed $1 million donations to the record-breaking Trump inaugural fund.
The rightward alignment at Meta is particularly notable, given Trump and Zuckerberg’s complicated relationship.
Facebook was a key platform the 2016 Trump campaign used to reach voters, though by 2021 the alliance had soured, as the social media giant indefinitely suspended the president’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram after he praised supporters who carried out the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
By 2023, Facebook reinstated Trump’s account.
Earlier this year, Trump threatened in his book, Save America, to throw Zuckerberg in prison for life and alleged without evidence the tech tycoon intervened in the 2020 election.
Tech companies aren’t the only ones ditching DEI policies.
In the face of boycott threats and conservative pressure, companies including McDonald’s, Walmart, John Deere, and Harley-Davidson have all rolled back equity work.
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