Diversity, equity, and inclusion is not an illusion, but it soon might be

Global tech corps wrestle with policy disparity on either side of the Atlantic

Google may be the latest big tech corporation to scale back diversity, equity, and inclusion programs – but Arm, HPE, and Apple are going against the current direction of travel in their hiring and training policies.

The subject matter appears to be something many tech titans prefer not to publicly discuss, with numerous calls for comment from El Reg being either ignored, actively declined, or a "background briefing" offered to influence this article.

The White House wants Uncle Sam to revert to "merit-based" hiring. This is what The Register thinks equal opportunities should be all about, though: Recruiting people with the most appropriate skills for a role irrespective of race, gender, or background. Yet, whether through miscommunication or misguided implementations, this drive for diversity, equity, and inclusion, aka DEI, in the workplace became controversial.

According to sources, Arm CEO Rene Haas addressed his workforce in December to confirm that far from rowing back on DEI initiatives, the chip designer is actually intending to go further. We asked the business to share the chief exec's memo to staff, and instead it issued a statement.

"Inclusion has always been at the heart of Arm's culture and values. We are dedicated to supporting our people, and our DEI efforts play an important role in creating an environment where everyone can thrive and do their best work," a spokesperson told The Register.

Similarly, a spokesperson at Hewlett Packard Enterprise confirmed to us that it is not dismantling the DEI team at the IT infrastructure giant.

"We know that differences of experiences, perspectives, opinions, and ways of thinking lead to better debate, better innovation, and better decision making. Our priority is making everyone who comes to work at HPE feel welcome and valued, so they can contribute their points of view and we can drive better outcomes.

"We continuously look at how we can best create a workplace and culture that attracts and develops the best talent and empowers team members to bring their unique perspectives to the table."

These companies aren't alone. Apple rejected a shareholder proposal [PDF] last month to abolish its Inclusion & Diversity program, policies, department, and goals.

The proposal was based on fears of a rise in discrimination claims against employers following the 2024 ruling by the US Supreme Court (SFFA v. Harvard), which found that "discriminating on the basis of race in college admissions violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment."

"This year, those implications widened when the Supreme Court ruled in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protected against discriminatory job transfers. The ruling also lowered the bar for employees to successfully sue their employers for discrimination, and is therefore likely to lead to an increase in discrimination claims," the proposal adds.

It notes that Alphabet and Meta cut DEI staff and associated investment as Microsoft and Zoom laid off entire DEI teams. The aim, the proposal says, is to head off potential litigation that could hit shareholders in the pocket.

Apple disagreed: "The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program. The proposal also inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple's ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies.

"Apple is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, or promoting on any basis protected by law. Apple seeks to operate in compliance with applicable non-discrimination laws, both in the United States and in the many other jurisdictions in which we operate, and in that regard monitors and evolves its practices, policies, and goals as appropriate to address compliance risks. The proposal inappropriately seeks to micromanage the Company's programs and policies by suggesting a specific means of legal compliance."

Similarly, chipmaker Qualcomm says it intends to continue running initiatives [PDF].

"We believe that a diverse workforce is important to our success, and we continue to focus on making Qualcomm a great place to work for everyone, including women and underrepresented populations. Our recent efforts have been focused on three areas: inspiring innovation through an inclusive and diverse culture; expanding our efforts to recruit world-class diverse talent; and identifying strategic partners to accelerate our programs.

"We have employee networks that enhance our inclusive and diverse culture, including global network groups focused on supporting women, LGBTQ+ employees, and employees with disabilities, in addition to US-based employee networks that focus on Asian American and Pacific Islander employees, Black and African American employees, Hispanic and Latinx employees, and US military members and veterans."

Yet other companies, whether due to worries about litigation, the patchwork of policies from the US government – which last month said federal contractors are no longer subject to anti-discrimination rules applied to hiring, training, and employment – or concerns about miscommunication around DEI, are scaling back initiatives.

Social network owner Meta said last month it is altering "hiring, development, and procurement practices in a legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts," which are "changing."

"It reaffirms longstanding principles that discrimination should not be tolerated or promoted on the basis of inherent characteristics. 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."

Amazon said it was "winding down outdated programs and materials, and we're aiming to complete that by the end of 2024," with the intention of bringing together "employee groups" under one happy house.

Intel recently got rid of numerical diversity goals that it had included in previous years, and just last week, Google admitted it was also ditching diversity recruitment goals.

"We're committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities," a Google spokesperson told the BBC. "We've updated our [annual investor report] language to reflect this, and as a federal contractor our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic."

The Register asked Google, Microsoft, Lenovo, Dell, Salesforce, and Cisco to comment.

US President Donald Trump's orders terminating DEI initiatives center on the federal government, yet Attorney General Pam Bondi dispatched a memorandum stating that the Department of Justice is prepared to "investigate, eliminate, and penalize illegal DEI and DEIA [Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility] preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities in the private sector."

The situation in Europe and the UK is at odds with the changes taking place at the headquarters of some big tech companies.

In a research note titled "Corporate diversity at a crossroads," Dale Peters, analyst at TechMarketView, said of the policy disparity: "This will inevitably create challenges for tech companies that operate across both regions, which will need to play both sides. Companies are also likely to face growing pressure from some shareholders to align with the new US government's policy. Additionally, with DEI becoming so politically charged, we can expect the UK government to face growing calls to curtail its [Equality, Diversity and Inclusion] agenda. Despite the challenges, it is imperative that tech companies do not destroy the benefits of diversity and inclusion.

"Few would question that companies should strive to create a meritocracy, but that does not mean ignoring differences. Success depends on countering bias, removing barriers, and creating opportunity to ensure talent can rise to the top."

He said DEI/EDI should not equate to lowering standards; "rather, it should provide the environment to counter conformity, encourage innovation, and drive business growth." ®