Goldman Sachs is set to eliminate its DEI recruitment criteria, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. This decision follows previous changes made last year when the firm removed diversity requirements from public company boards.
Initially, the board’s steering committee assessed candidates using a mix of criteria, including traditional definitions of diversity related to backgrounds and experiences. However, references to categories like race, gender identity, and ethnicity, previously labeled as “Other Demographics,” are now expected to be removed.
The changes reportedly stem from a request made by the National Law and Policy Center, a conservative nonprofit with a minor stake in the bank, last September.
The firm has reached an agreement with the NLPC to implement the changes without formal requests being made to shareholders ahead of the annual meeting this year.
This move reflects a wider rejection of DEI policies, which has gained momentum since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency last year. He signed an executive order on his first day aimed at dismantling what he termed “radical and wasteful government DEI programs” and directed federal agencies to eliminate similar initiatives.
Trump has also been vocal about targeting DEI efforts at elite universities, particularly Harvard, seeking to leverage federal funding to address issues such as anti-Semitism and perceived “woke” ideologies.
In December, the Trump administration contested a court order requiring the return of $2.7 billion in frozen research funds to Harvard.
