After pouring millions of dollars into diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Microsoft has reportedly fired the team dedicated to the effort, making it the latest major company to abandon its “woke” policies.
The tech giant disbanded its DEI team earlier this month, citing “changing business needs,” according to a July 1 announcement. The emails were obtained by Business Insider..
It is unclear how many employees are affected.
The decision is a further sign that the company is rolling back diversity-based initiatives introduced in the wake of the 2020 death of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests.
Last year, Google and Meta scaled back the scope of their DEI programs and cut staff as part of restructurings and layoffs at both companies. According to CNBC.
On Tuesday, tractor giant John Deere announced it was eliminating nearly all of its DEI policies in favor of a quality-driven work environment.
This follows agricultural retail chain Tractor Supply’s decision last month to scrap all of its DEI goals and positions.
Zoom, Snap, Tesla, DoorDash, Lyft, Home Depot, and Wayfair have also downsized their DEI teams.
Overall, the number of DEI-related job postings fell 44% by mid-2023 compared to the same period in 2022.
Microsoft had pledged to invest $150 million in its DEI initiative, including doubling the number of Black and Hispanic leaders by 2025.
“Our commitment to D&I remains unchanged,” a Microsoft spokesperson told Business Insider.
“Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering, and we remain committed to this work, adhering to our expectations and prioritizing accountability.”
Nonetheless, Microsoft’s July 1 email received pushback from the company’s anonymous DEI team lead.
According to BI, the employee sent a letter to thousands of colleagues the same day, lamenting the fact that “the true systems change work related to DEI programs everywhere is no longer business-critical or prudent as it is in 2020.”
Microsoft was one of many blue-chip companies that sought to bolster its workforce by recruiting from a more diverse pool of candidates following the police-involved death of Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis police custody in May 2020.
Floyd’s death sparked riots and demonstrations across the United States, as well as calls for American companies to diversify their workforces.
A month after Floyd’s death, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella committed to doubling the number of African-American managers, senior individual contributors and senior leaders in the United States by 2025.
At the time, Nadella declined to disclose the number of black managers employed at Microsoft.
Last fall, Microsoft We just released our annual Diversity and Inclusion Report.
The Redmond, Washington-based company said it plans to increase its female workforce by 0.5% between 2022 and 2023.
Microsoft, which has 221,000 employees worldwide, said women make up 31.2% of its global workforce, up 3.6% from 2019.
The Windows maker said Black employees make up 6.7% of its global workforce, up 2.2% from 2019, while Hispanics make up 8%.
