The Meta doesn't stop at change in moderation. According to the two Axios and The New York TimesThe company is also pulling the plug on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. That includes removing diversity hiring goals, eliminating the position of chief diversity officer and de-prioritizing minority-owned businesses as vendors, per The Times' reporting.
When asked to comment on the end of the DEI initiatives, Meta confirmed that the reporting was accurate.
Internally, the company appears to be pressing the decision on a changing “legal and policy landscape,” according to a memo to employees. Axios got
“The United States Supreme Court recently made decisions that signal a shift in how courts will approach DEI,” Janelle Gale, Meta's VP of Human Resources said in the memo. “The term 'DEI' has also been charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”
The current Supreme Court is not exactly friendly towards systematic attempts to address issues of race, gender and sexuality, but in the context of Meta's other recent changes, there seems to be more going on than the company's fear of a possible lawsuit.
Along with Mark Zuckerberg's announcement that Meta is abandoning third-party fact-checking and changing what kind of speech it allows on its platform, 404 Media reports that the company removed Trans and Non-binary themes from Messenger, and posts it made announcing them. The company also added a Trump supporter and UFC CEO Dana White on its board this week, a confirmation of Zuckerberg's continued UFC fandom but also a sign that he is eager to listen to conservative voices. It all seems to add up to less of a reaction to the current climate and more like the way people in charge want to do business going forward.
