Meta and Amazon, global big tech companies, have decided to abolish internal policies that consider diversity, fairness and inclusion (DEI) in their operations. It is interpreted as part of an aggressive “coding” move ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s entry into the White House, who is critical of DEI.
According to Reuters and other foreign media on the 11th (local time), Meta, which operates social networking services (SNS) Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, said in an internal memo to employees the previous day that it would end the company’s DEI policy, which had been applied to hiring, training, and selecting suppliers. As a result, the DEI department inside Meta will also be abolished.
“The legal and policy environment surrounding the DEI policy in the U.S. is changing,” said Jernell Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, in a memo. He cited a recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals that invalidated a rule by Nasdaq requiring listed companies to disclose whether women and minorities participate in the board of directors. Vice President Gale also added, “DEI is understood as a practice of proposing preferential treatment for some classes.”
In a memo sent to employees last month, Amazon also pointed out that the end of 2024 is the target time, saying it is reducing outdated programs related to securing diversity. McDonald’s and Walmart also scrapped DEI policies one after another last year. The dismantling of DEI policies by the U.S. business community reflects the intention of Trump, who will take office soon. After George Floyd, a black man, died in a hardline police crackdown in 2020, a campaign to abolish racism in U.S. civil society began, and the U.S. business community rushed to introduce DEI policies. Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2023 to abolish the minority preferential policy for college entrance exams, the U.S. conservative camp has continued its offensive, claiming that DEI policies create “reverse discrimination.” President-elect Trump has also clearly expressed his opposition.
“Meta’s move comes amid growing conservative opposition to DEI policies,” Reuters said.
In addition to DEI, the U.S. business community is actively adjusting the way the company operates to Trump’s taste.
Meta is particularly enthusiastic about the move. It has abolished the “third fact check” function in response to Trump’s demand against content censorship on social media. In addition, it has recruited Dana White, the chief executive of UFC, a close aide to Trump, as a board member, and Joel Caplan, a well-known Republican, as a global policy officer, to win Trump’s favor.
According to Bloomberg, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony on the 20th, along with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
Earlier this month, Amazon also announced that it would make a documentary film about Melania Trump, Trump’s wife, and is actively participating in the code-matching process.
JENNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
