DEI Under Fire: The Latest From Accenture, PBS, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Disney, McKinsey, Google [February 2025]
DEI Under Fire is our monthly series that keeps you up-to-date on the latest DEI announcements and changes from the nation's leading companies.
The landscape of DEI has changed significantly over the past couple of months in the US. Some companies have succumbed to political pressure to roll back their DEI initiatives, while others stand firm in their diversity and inclusion stances.
With so many changes to DEI in a short matter of time, it isn’t easy to keep up with where companies stand with DEI. This is why POCIT is creating a new series where we update you on the latest changes to DEI every month.
Remember to revisit this page throughout February for updates.
Companies are listed in alphabetical order.
Accenture
After evaluating the political landscape in the US, Accenture recently announced that it would scrap its global diversity and inclusion goals, as stated by The Financial Times. Chief executive Julie Sweet sent a memo to staff explaining that the company would be “sunsetting” its diversity goals set in 2017. It also plans to end its career development programs for “people of specific demographic groups.”
Apple
On February 25, Apple shareholders recently voted against ending their DEI programs to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. The National Center for Public Policy Research – a self-described conservative thinktank composed a proposal asking Apple to follow the list of companies rolling back their DEI efforts.
The Guardian reported that Stefan Padfield, executive director of the think tank’s Free Enterprise Project, criticized Apple’s commitment to diversity and stated it did not align with recent court rulings. “The vibe shift is clear: DEI is out, and merit is in,” they said. The shareholders rejected the proposal.
BlackRock
BlackRock removed language associated with its diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy in its latest annual report. The WSJ reported that in its annual report filed on Tuesday, 25 February, BlackRock cut statements it included in previous reports about a diverse and inclusive workforce is “a commercial imperative and indispensable.”
It also deleted mentions of its “three pillar DEI strategy,” and another statement that “BlackRock views transparency and measurement as critical to its strategy” has been removed, as well as a list of its U.S. employees by gender and self-disclosed ethnicity.
Citi
Citigroup Inc. will shut down its workplace representation goals, withdrawing requirements to interview job candidates from diverse backgrounds. Its “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Talent Management” team will also be renamed “Talent Management and Engagement,” according to a memo written to staff by Chief Executive Officer Jane Fraser reviewed by Bloomberg.
“The recent changes in US federal government policy, including new requirements that apply to all federal contractors, call for changes to some of the global strategies and programs we’ve used to attract and support colleagues from various backgrounds,” she added in the memo.
Deloitte
Deloitte recently shared that it would scrap its diversity goals and urged government contract employees to remove gender pronouns from their email signatures, according to The Financial Times. The firm told consultants to remove pronouns highlighting their gender from external emails to align with emerging government client practices and requirements,” as stated by people with similar details.
However, Deloitte’s UK senior partner and chief executive Richard Houston informed staff in an email that diversity “remains a priority” despite the US firm’s plans for DEI.
Disney
Walt Disney Co. is withdrawing diversity from the basis for deciding manager compensation, according to Bloomberg. Leaders will now be evaluated on how well they endorse company values and embody different perspectives. It will also end its Reimagine Tomorrow inclusion program. Staff were told of these changes in an announcement by Chief Human Resources Officer Sonia Coleman.
“What won’t change is our commitment to fostering a company culture where everyone belongs, and everyone can excel, enabling us to deliver the globally appealing entertainment that drives our business,” Coleman shared in the memo.
The company is also updating the language of its content warnings. Previously, users received auto-play content advisory disclaimers that would appear for older films on Disney+ like “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan.” These warnings would tell viewers that the film includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of peoples or cultures.”
Now, the warning will say “This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions.”
Gamestop
The Hill reported that GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen ridiculed “wokeness and DEI” after announcing that it seeks to sell operations in France and Canada. “Email M&A@gamestop.com if you’re interested in buying GameStop Canada or Micromania France. High taxes, Liberalism, Socialism, Progressivism, Wokeness and DEI included at no additional cost if you buy today,” Cohen wrote on X.
Goldman Sachs
Not long ago, Goldman Sachs announced that it had removed a policy intended to promote diversity on the boards of companies that it takes public. The policy, introduced in 2020, stated that Goldman would only enlist a company’s starting public offering if it had at least one board member from a diverse background.
The Guardian reported that Goldman said, “As a result of legal developments related to board diversity requirements, we ended our formal board diversity policy.”
Google’s online and mobile calendars no longer reference Black History Month, Women’s History Month, LGBTQ+ holidays, and other events. The Verge first reported that the calendars previously highlighted the beginning of Black History Month in February and Pride Month in June, but these events do not exist for 2025.
Madison Cushman Veld, a Google spokesperson, gave The Guardian a statement about the calendar: “Some years ago, the Calendar team started manually adding a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world. We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing – and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable.”
McKinsey
McKinsey & Co. is not joining the list of companies scrapping their DEI efforts; it pledges to prioritize diversity across its workforce, as reported by Bloomberg. Global Managing Partner Bob Sternfels told staff in a memo that some people have asked if the company plans to continue to prioritize diversity in their meritocracy.
“The answer is yes. We will continue to boldly pursue both because these two things together — our diverse meritocracy — is what makes us distinctive and has defined who we are over our nearly 100 years,” he said.
OpenAI
OpenAI deleted a page that used to highlight the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as first reported by TechCrunch. The now eradicated page had noted the company’s ongoing “investment in diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The URL “https://openai.com/commitment-to-dei/” currently diverts to a “building dynamic teams” page, which references people with “different backgrounds” with no sign of the word “diversity.” Previously, the page had stated that OpenAI was dedicated to “continuously improving our work in creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization.”
PBS
Following President Trump’s executive orders, PBS is closing its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) office. NBC reviewed a memo sent to staff by PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger stating that on the advice of PBS’ legal counsel, the DEI office was shut, and DEI staffers Gina Leow and Cecilia Loving will leave PBS.
“In order to best ensure we are in compliance with the President’s executive order around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion we have closed our DEI office,” they said in the memo.
Roche
Roche Holding AG’s US unit has removed diversity and inclusion targets from its website, according to Bloomberg. Genentech’s diversity and inclusion report page now says it was under construction. The biotech unit previously aimed to twice the amount of Black and Hispanic representation of directors, officers, and extended leadership. This was part of a longer list of commitments on its diversity website archived by the Wayback Machine.
The drugmaker is assessing any potential risks of executive orders and other actions made by the new US administration, as stated by a spokesman for Genentech. However, Roche’s DEI programs in Europe remain intact.
Shopify
Shopify recently laid off the team in charge of its social impact initiatives, including those supporting Black, Indigenous, and Women entrepreneurs. Sources told The Logic that the layoffs occurred at the same time Shopify ended its Build Native, Build Black, and social impact programs.
Additionally, links to pages related to Build Black and Build Native and another link to “Social Impact” remain in the footer of Shopify’s website. But all three links have now gone. EmPowered by Shopify, a list of Black and Indigenous businesses launched in late 2024, is also dead.
Warner Bros
Head of HR Jennifer Remling and Asif Sadiq, now chief inclusion officer, sent a memo to employees viewed by Variety, stating that the “overarching work in this space will now be referred to as Inclusion.” They went on to say that the company wants to ensure “we continue to comply with the evolving legal landscape in the United States and around the world.”
