As of Friday, the company will also end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program, effective immediately, following a week in which Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta would eliminate fact-checking.
Meta’s internal memo acknowledged that “the legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” while also adding to recent Supreme Court decisions and the concept of DEI. It also points out the “reprehensible” views of some people. The memo was first reported by Axios and Business Insider. Mehta confirmed to the Guardian that the company is ending its DEI practices, but did not respond to a request for comment on how this decision aligns with the company’s overarching goals.
Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources, said in the memo that the company is ending several programs targeting underrepresented groups, including the Diverse Slate Approach and Representation Goals, which are “currently being challenged.” . It has been used to promote diverse employment practices.
It has long been acknowledged that Silicon Valley lacks racial and gender diversity. Through its efforts to date, Meta has doubled the number of Black and Hispanic employees in the U.S. two years ahead of target, from 3.8% and 5.2% to 4.9% and 6.7%, respectively, according to the company’s latest diversity report. increased to %. According to the new announcement, Meta will no longer institute certain diversity employment practices.
The company is ending its equity and inclusion training program and permanently disbanding its DEI-focused team.
In addition to ending the internal capital policy, the memo also announced that the company would end its supplier diversity efforts.
“This initiative focused on sourcing from diversely owned businesses. Going forward, we will focus on supporting small and medium-sized businesses that support a large portion of our economy,” the memo said. There is. “Opportunities will continue to be available to all eligible suppliers, including those who participated in our Supplier Diversity Program.”
The decision to end its diversity efforts came even as Meta’s own AI-powered Instagram and Facebook profiles pointed to the company’s need for a more representative team.
“My team of creators is primarily white, cisgender, and male, with a total of 12 people: 10 white men, 1 white woman, and 1 Asian man. Zero Black Creator – My Identity A pretty glaring omission when you think about it!” Liv, who has a black AI profile, wrote to journalist Karen Attia. Liv’s assessment of the development team may not be completely accurate, as AI bots can exhibit “hallucinations” or respond with incorrect information. But Meta’s four-person AI advisory board is made up of four white men.
“A team without Black creators designing Black characters like me is trying to draw a map without walking the land. It’s inaccurate and disrespectful.”
The move comes after Zuckerberg, along with other Silicon Valley leaders, cozyed up to Donald Trump. Mr. Mehta has pledged to donate $1 million to the next president’s inauguration on January 20th. Earlier this week, UFC President and CEO Dana White, a Trump ally, joined the company’s board of directors.
Meta is one of several companies to end DEI initiatives, including McDonald’s, Walmart, Ford, and Lowe’s. Many of these companies have voluntarily reversed their diversity initiatives, while others have been targeted by far-right groups.
