Amazon dials back DEI programs ahead of Trump inauguration | Amazon

Amazon.com is winding down diversity programs ahead of Republican Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency, amid growing conservative opposition to such initiatives.

Some of biggest businesses in the US have been scaling back their diversity initiatives, years after pushing for more inclusive policies in the wake of protests that followed the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in 2020.

Amazon, in a December memo to employees on Friday, said it was “winding down outdated programs and materials” related to representation and inclusion, aiming to complete the process by the end of 2024.

Conservative groups have denounced the programs and threatened to sue companies over them, emboldened by a US supreme court ruling in 2023 that struck down affirmative action in university admissions decisions.

Just this week, Elon Musk and other Trump allies blamed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs for hindering the response to raging wildfires in Los Angeles, without evidence. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, gave Trump’s inaugural committee $1m.

“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 and originally reported by Axios.

Gale cited recent supreme court decisions “signaling 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. One employee comment on Gale’s memo called it “upsetting to read”.

Meta is likewise ending its DEI programs, including those for hiring, training and picking suppliers, it said in an internal memo to employees on Friday – the latest in a series of actions cheered by conservatives. Meta will no longer have a dedicated team focused on DEI.

In less than two weeks, Meta has scrapped its US factchecking program, elevated prominent Republican Joel Kaplan to be its chief global affairs officer and elected Dana White, CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and a close friend of Trump, to its board.