Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is cutting its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs for hiring, training, and picking suppliers.
The company has also eliminated its DEI-focused team and will instead build programs “that focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background,” according to a Friday memo by Vice President of Human Resources Janelle Gale, Axios reported.
The move comes just days after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company will no longer rely on “politically biased” fact-checkers to censor content, pledging to restore “free expression” on its platforms. Ostensibly unbiased fact-checkers have in fact “shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas,” Zuckerberg warned.
The memo noted that “the legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” citing recent Supreme Court decisions that signal “a shift in how courts will approach DEI.”
“The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged,” the memo went on, “in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”
Several other major companies have scaled back DEI initiatives since Donald Trump’s election victory. McDonald’s said this week that it is revising its DEI practices. In late November, Walmart announced plans to discontinue its DEI training programs for staff and no longer consider race and gender when choosing suppliers.
Meta recently promoted Republican Joel Kaplan to be the company’s policy chief and added UFC president Dana White, a top Trump ally, to its board. The tech giant has also donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund.
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