World’s Largest Computer Chip Equipment Maker Scraps DEI Targets In The US
Dutch semiconductor equipment supplier ASML has ended its DEI targets in the US to comply with executive orders in the country. The company made the announcement on Wednesday, stating that its diversity and key performance targets would not apply to US workers to the point that its inclusion and diversity policies conflict with US laws and orders. Still, it would remain intact in all other markets.
ASML rolls back its DEI efforts
ASML becomes another European company ending its DEI initiatives to avoid any disciplinary action from the executive orders issued by President Donald Trump.
“ASML policy has always been to hire the best available candidate for the job. We will continue to hire based on qualifications and merit,” it said in an emailed statement to Reuters. “Diversity targets and key performance indicators will not apply to employees in the US. For the Netherlands and all other markets, there are no material changes as a result of the executive order.”
EU firms comply with US executive orders
The Trump administration has asked some large companies in the EU to comply with executive orders to end DEI programs. Government officials have allegedly sent letters to companies in France and the European Union with US government contracts, stating that they should ban DEI initiatives if they wish to retain their contracts.
“Department of State contractors must certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable anti-discrimination laws and agree that such certification is material for purposes of the government’s payment decision and therefore subject to the False Claims Act,” the document states.
References to DEI on annual reports of FTSE 100 companies in the UK have declined. Mentions of DEI, as well as the number of pages containing the phrase and revisions on it, fell by more than 16% compared to the annual reports for 85 companies in 2023 and 2024.
Image: Michael Vi/Shutterstock
