Google will no longer pursue Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) hiring and representation goals, according to a memo to employees viewed by ESG Today, citing a rapidly changing environment of “U.S. Executive Orders, court decisions, and many companies making changes to their DEl programs in recent weeks.”
As mentioned in the memo, the tech giant’s decision forms part of a series of major adjustments being made to DEI policies by U.S. companies, which began following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down Harvard’s use of race-based affirmative action criteria in college admissions, and led to increased scrutiny over the legality of key aspects of corporate DEI policies. The phenomenon has picked up the pace since the election of Donald Trump, who signed an executive order after taking office eliminating DEI preferencing in federal contracting, and required contractors to affirm that they “will not engage in illegal discrimination, including illegal DEI.”
Google was an early proponent of diversity, equity and inclusion, setting its first DEI goals in 2009, followed by new targets in 2020 to improve leadership representation of underrepresented groups by 30% by 2025. The company announced in its 2023 diversity report that it achieved its 30% goal.
In the memo, Google Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi said that, given its position as a federal contractor, the company was evaluating changes to its programs “to comply with recent court decisions and U.S. Executive Orders on this topic.”
Cicconi added:
“We’ll continue to invest in states across the U.S. — and in many countries globally — but in the future we will no longer have aspirational goals.”
Notably, Google’s policy changes are already being reflected in company documents, with a strong statement of support for DEI appearing in the parent company Alphabet’s 2023 10K annual report, stating that “we are committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve,” no longer appearing in its 2024 10K, which was released this week.
In the memo, Cicconi said:
“We’ve always been committed to creating a workplace where we hire the best people wherever we operate, create an environment where everyone can thrive, and treat everyone fairly. That’s exactly what you can expect to see going forward.”