Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg. (Screengrab: Instagram/@zuck)

Meta scraps diversity programmes in broad shift ahead of Trump inauguration

Meta Platforms announced it will end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, citing shifting legal and policy landscapes in the US. The decision includes eliminating its DEI team and discontinuing the "Diverse Slate Approach."

by · India Today

In Short

  • Move linked to Trump's criticism of Meta's policies
  • Supreme Court decisions impact diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) approach
  • Meta shifts focus from DEI to accessibility and engagement

Meta Platforms is ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, including those for hiring, training and picking suppliers, it said in a memo to employees posted on an internal company forum on Friday.

The move comes in the run-up to US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration, as the company attempts to mend relations with the leader who has criticised its political content policies and threatened its CEO with imprisonment.

"The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing," Janelle Gale, Vice President of Human Resources at Meta, said in the memo, which was seen by Reuters.

Gale cited recent Supreme Court decisions "signalling a shift" in how US courts will approach DEI programs going forward.

"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," she wrote.

Meta will continue to source job candidates from different backgrounds, but it will stop using a "Diverse Slate Approach", said Gale.

The company will no longer have a dedicated team focused on DEI, she wrote. Chief Diversity Officer Maxine Williams will be taking on a new role at Meta, focused on accessibility and engagement, per the memo.

One employee comment on Gale's memo called it "upsetting to read".

The US tech giant elected three new directors to its board on Monday, including Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and close friend of Trump.