Add another company to the growing list of those scaling back or scrapping their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and it’s a big one: Meta.
Vice president of people Janelle Gale sent a memo over the company’s Workplace internal communications forum, as first reported by Axios.
According to Gale’s post, Meta will no longer have a dedicated DEI team, and chief diversity officer Maxine Williams will shift to a new role with a focus on accessibility and engagement.
Meta’s initiative to source business suppliers from diverse-owned businesses will be halted in favor of a mandate to support small and midsized businesses, which Gale noted “power much of our economy.”
The diverse slate approach to hiring—which was implemented to make sure the company considered a diverse set of applicants while filling open roles—is also being phased out, as are representation goals.
Finally, Gale wrote that equity and inclusion programs at Meta will be replaced with programs “that focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background.”
CNBC reported that this response from a Meta employee to Gale’s post drew more than 600 reactions from coworkers: “If you don’t stand by your principles when things get difficult, they aren’t values. They’re hobbies.”
And both inside and outside of Meta, the move will likely be perceived as another concession to the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
The parent company of Facebook and Instagram revealed earlier this week that it is eliminating its third-party fact-checking program in favor of a Community Notes initiative like the one used by Elon Musk’s X.
In November 2023, Meta reversed its ban on ads questioning the legitimacy of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
And in the weeks since Trump’s victory, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has met with Trump and potential secretary of state appointee Marco Rubio at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla.; donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund; promoted Republican Party ally Joel Kaplan to chief global affairs officer; and added Trump ally Dana White, CEO of UFC, to the company’s board of directors.
