DEI is dead…
…at least in the corporate world, it seems.
The narrative of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the corporate world appears to have reached its final chapter, particularly in the United States. Following the re-election of former President Donald Trump, these initiatives have largely been silenced. Once visible components of many companies' public personas, they now exist only in the shadows, rarely discussed openly.
Despite their continued existence in many instances, corporations have decided to steer clear of DEI topics, fearing the potential backlash from the President. This reluctance, while perhaps perceived as a lack of courage, is more accurately described as a calculated risk assessment. As Janis Joplin once noted, "freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose," and the executives of these corporations have a great deal to lose.
Alphabet, Google's parent company, with its 191,000 employees, could potentially shrink to just 181,000 if it were to face legal repercussions or lose government contracts by taking a stance on DEI issues. Therefore, it's not surprising to see these companies have quietly toned down their DEI communications since Trump's return to office.
A study by Ana Isabel Lopes and Joao Goncalves analyzed the social media posts of the 20 largest companies in the US and Europe, measuring the percentage of posts focusing on DEI topics from 2024 to 2025. The results clearly indicate a significant drop in DEI-related discourse, as shown in the accompanying chart.
Written by urgent.news from Klement on Investing's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
