List: Companies that have recently rolled back DEI policies
FILE-Employees sit at their cubicles in an office. (Photo by Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Multiple big corporations have rolled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, with Walmart becoming the latest company to join the list.
Companies have faced criticism from conservative activists about DEI policies. One outspoken critic on the matter has been conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has attacked corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies announced that they are pulling back their initiatives.
Separately, some conservative groups filed lawsuits making similar arguments about corporations, targeting workplace initiatives like diversity programs, and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups, the Associated Press reported.
Companies that rolled back DEI policies
Walmart
Walmart’s roll back to DEI policies include not renewing a five-year commitment to an equity racial center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd, to pulling out of a prominent gay rights index. And related to race or gender, the Associated Press reported that Walmart won’t be giving priority treatment to suppliers.
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company announced in late August that it was stepping back from some of its DEI initiatives.
In a letter from Ford CEO Jim Farley to employees, he told the staff employees that Ford had made the decision earlier in the year to no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, which is an annual survey and report used to gauge "policies, practices and benefits pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) employees."
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson announced in August that it was ending diversity and other progressive initiatives at the company. "We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community," the company wrote in a statement posted on X.
The company added in their post that "we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals."
John Deer
In July, John Deere announced it would get rid of all its DEI policies in favor of a quality-based workplace. The tractor company released a statement on its X account on July 16 saying that it will commit to prioritizing quality and customer trust over DEI initiatives.
Catepillar
Catepillar, a heavy equipment maker, made DEI changes in the company that include requiring all corporate training be oriented to focus on business operations, as well as requiring approval from senior leaders for bringing in external speakers or participating in external surveys and awards.
Tractor Supply
The farming supplies retailer announced in June that it will halt sponsorship of "nonbusiness activities" such as Pride festivals and voting campaigns, with intentions to focus more on "rural America priorities," FOX Business reported.
Lowe’s
The home improvement retailer dropped multiple DEI programs. Lowe's ended its participation in surveys for the Human Rights Campaign. The company also reportedly changed its internal policy to no longer sponsor or support parades or festivals.
Moolson Coors
Molson Coors said in September that it was eliminating DEI training now that all employees had completed it. The company also announced it would get rid of its defined supplier diversity goals and, starting next year, will remove "aspirational representation goals" from its executives' compensation plans, FOX Business reported.
Brown-Forman
Brown-Forman, the maker of Jack Daniel’s whisky, announced in August that it was pulling back on its DEI initiatives, amid pressure on social media.
Citing a copy of an internal memo posted on X, the New York Post reported that Brown-Forman would stop linking bonuses and pay to DEI progress, end its participation in an annual ranking of companies with an LGBTQ-friendly environment and throw out its plans to push for a more diverse group of suppliers.
Brown-Forman, which is based in Kentucky, first launched its DEI goals in 2019 and previously tied 10% of executives’ short-term compensation to progress on DEI goals, the New York Post noted, citing a 2023 annual report.