Tech giant Meta is doing away with its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, joining other major companies that have scaled back their DEI efforts.
Meta announced Friday in an internal memo regarding its "hiring, development and procurement practices" that it made the decision based on the changing legal landscape surrounding DEI policies. It acknowledged the Supreme Court's 2023 decision to strike down affirmative action in college admissions as a key factor in the move.
"The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI," the memo reads. "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."
The memo was first obtained and reported on by Axios.
Meta's DEI team will be cut under the new decision, according to the memo. The company also plans to end all equity and inclusion programs and instead focus on "how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background."
The company will also no longer be required to work with businesses with diverse ownership and will instead "focus our efforts on supporting small and medium-sized businesses that power much of our economy." Additionally, Meta noted it previously dropped certain diverse hiring goals, writing such goals "can create the impression that decisions are being made based on race or gender."
"We believe there are other ways to build an industry-leading workforce and leverage teams made up of world-class people from all types of backgrounds," the memo reads.
Other major companies to scale back on DEI initiatives include McDonald's, Tractor Supply Co., Harley-Davidson, Walmart and the Brown-Forman Corp., parent company of Jack Daniel's.
The shift follows Meta's recent decision to abandon its fact-checking program in favor of a community notes system similar to Elon Musk's X. It acknowledged the decision is due to several mistakes made by its current fact-checking model.
"The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a video Tuesday.
Meta's chief global affairs officer joined Fox News Tuesday, where he promised his company would "work with" President-elect Donald Trump to counter censorship amid a transition to the new community note system.
"We've got a real opportunity now," Joel Kaplan said. "We've got a new administration, a new president coming in, we're big defenders of free expression and that makes a difference."
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump has nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, was previously banned from Instagram after expressing skepticism of vaccines.