6 big companies ditching DEI — and 6 that are sticking with it

Companies from Disney (DIS) to Walmart (WMT) are ditching DEI as the Trump administration has put a chill on such efforts by eliminating it from federal programs.

While the headlines are alarming, employment law firm Littler surveyed 350 C-suite executives and found that nearly half (49%) of C-suite leaders are not considering new or further rollbacks of their DEI programs as a result of Trump executive orders targeting DEI. Only 8% are seriously considering changes.

“Despite the increased scrutiny, many companies seem to be taking a measured approach,” the firm says.

Here are six that have ditched their DEI programs — and six that are sticking with them.

Because of its full embrace of DEI after the George Floyd protests rocked its Minneapolis headquarters hometown in 2020, Target (TGT) is perhaps feeling the biggest backlash for rolling back its policies.

The retailer recently announced the end of its three-year DEI goals and that it will stop reporting to external groups such as the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. Target will also discontinue a program aimed at increasing its share of products from Black or minority-owned businesses.

Perhaps no company did a faster U-turn than Citigroup (C), whose head of talent said in December: “DEI is part of our DNA.” But just a month after Trump’s inauguration and declaration that DEI policies are illegal in federal contracts, Citigroup pulled the plug on most of its DEI, citing its government contracts.

Paramount (PARA) surprised Hollywood by announcing it will no longer use diversity targets tied to race or gender in hiring, and the company has begun removing DEI language from its website

Pepsi (PEP) will eliminate its chief DEI officer role, shifting it to a “broader role focused on associate engagement, leadership development, and the continued delivery of A Space to Be You,” the company’s inclusivity program, CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a memo to employees. The company has also removed many references to DEI from its investor reports.

Goldman Sachs (GS) announced this week that it would drop a stipulation that a company it takes public must have at least two diverse members on its board of directors, one of whom had to be a woman

Costco (COST) beat back an attempt by some shareholders to roll back or clarify DEI policies. Costco’s board responded that its diversity programs comply with the law, and cemented its commitment to diversifying its supplier base — including giving special consideration to small businesses.

The National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, had called on Apple (AAPL) to follow other major companies in backing off from DEI. But shareholders gave it a resounding thumbs down, quashing a proposal to end the iPhone maker’s DEI program.

Lush has responded to a rollback in DEI by putting out three new bath bombs named Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Hilary Jones, the company’s global ethics director, told Adweek that the company is “not going to roll back on anything, and we wanted to make sure that we were visible in not rolling back.”

The National Football League has reiterated its commitment to DEI. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told the Washington Post that the league would continue to abide by its minority hiring programs because those “efforts are fundamental.”

Delta (DAL) Airlines is sticking with DEI. “We are steadfast in our commitments because we think that they are actually critical to our business,” Peter Carter, Delta’s chief external affairs officer said of the company’s diversity efforts during a recent earnings call.

It should come as no surprise that the famously progressive company that gave us Cherry Garcia and Caramel Chew Chew is announcing it is sticking with DEI.

“We believe that companies that timidly bow to the current political climate by attempting to turn back the clock will become increasingly uncompetitive in the marketplace and will ultimately be judged as having been on the wrong side of history,” the company said in a statement.