Meta ends its DEI programs

Meta is ending its efforts specifically known as diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, according an internal memo obtained by Axios.

Like other recent moves Meta has made, the change reflects an apparent rightward political and cultural shift within the company, according to Axios.

Authored by Janelle Gale, Meta's vice president of human resources, the internal memo suggests that legal developments and cultural attitudes affecting the execution and perception of DEI influenced the company's decision.

SEE ALSO: Fury over Meta's relaxed hate speech policies: "I really think this is a precursor for genocide"

The Supreme Court's 2023 ruling ending race-based affirmative action in higher education, for example, has led to greater legal scrutiny of workplace DEI initiatives.

"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," Gale said.

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Conservatives have also coordinated broad efforts to attack DEI. The backlash now regularly plays into debates over why certain tragedies have occurred. This week, for example, Elon Musk reposted content on X appearing to blame DEI for the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles, which experts say were fueled in part by extreme weather conditions and a drier, hotter climate.

Elon Musk reposted content that appeared to blame diversity for wildfires in L.A. Credit: X / Twitter

Gale said that Meta would still assemble "cognitively diverse teams, with differences in knowledge, skills, political views, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences" and that people wouldn't be given or deprived of professional opportunities because of legally protected characteristics.

The end of the company's DEI efforts means that it will no longer use a "diverse slate approach," which it began implementing in 2015. According to a 2017 blog post on Meta's website about the strategy, it "sets the expectation that hiring managers will consider candidates from underrepresented backgrounds when interviewing for an open position."

Additionally, Meta will no longer offer equity and inclusion training but instead offer programs "on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background," Gale said in the memo.

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It's been a controversial week for Meta. A few days prior to ending its DEI efforts, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, would no longer use fact-checkers to moderate content for disinformation and misinformation. Instead, in order to prioritize "free expression," the company will rely on "Community Notes," similar to X's moderation model.

Subsequent, related revisions to Meta's Hateful Conduct policy permitted users on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to call gay people "mentally ill," women "property," and entire ethnicities "diseases," according to Mashable's reporting. The dramatic change prompted an outcry from human rights activists and organizers.

On Monday, Meta also added Dana White, president and CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship and an ally of Donald Trump, to its board of directors. The Washington Post noted that the addition of White to Meta's board "could be seen as Zuckerberg's latest maneuver to improve ties with Trump." In December, Zuckerberg donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.