Meta’s right-wing reinvention also includes an end to DEI programs and trans Messenger themes

Meta isn’t stopping at moderation changes. According to both Axios and The New York Times, the company is also pulling the plug on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. That includes removing diversity hiring goals, eliminating the chief diversity officer position and no longer prioritizing minority-owned businesses as vendors, per The Times‘ reporting.

When asked to comment on ending DEI initiatives, Meta confirmed the reporting was accurate.

Internally, the company is apparently pinning the decision on a shifting “legal and policy landscape,” according to a memo to employees Axios acquired.

ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisement

“The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI,” Janelle Gale, Meta’s VP of Human Resources says in the memo. “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.”

The current Supreme Court is not exactly friendly towards systemic attempts to address issues of race, gender and sexuality, but in the context of Meta’s other recent changes, it seems like there’s more going on than the company being afraid of a possible lawsuit.

At the same time that Mark Zuckerberg was announcing that Meta was abandoning third-party fact checking and changing what kind of speech it allows on its platform, 404 Media reports that the company removed the Trans and Non-binary themes from Messenger, and posts it made announcing them. The company also added Trump supporter and UFC CEO Dana White to its board this week, a confirmation of Zuckerberg’s continuing UFC fandom but also a signal that it’s eager to listen to conservative voices. It all seems to add up to less of a reaction to the current climate and more like the way people in charge want to be doing business going forward.

Related Posts

TikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown in the US

President Joe Biden signed a bill last year that would ban TikTok, the popular video app owned by Chinese company ByteDance if the company didn’t sell the platform within a…

Read more

TikTok says it’s going offline in the US

/ The app failed to avoid a US federal ban that is now going into effect. p>span:first-child]:text-gray-13 [&_.duet–article-byline-and]:text-gray-13″> By Alex Heath, a deputy editor and author of the Command Line…

Read more

What Does ‘Roger’ Mean In Military Aviation And Why Do Pilots Say It?

Jeremy Poland/Getty If you’ve ever seen shows with military pilots, you’ve likely heard them saying “Roger” a few times when talking to air traffic control, fellow pilots, and other people…

Read more

Genshin Impact’s developer to pay $20 million fine to settle FTC charges

/ Singapore-based Cognosphere is banned from selling loot boxes to teens under 16 without parental consent. p>span:first-child]:text-gray-13 [&_.duet–article-byline-and]:text-gray-13″> By Wes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech…

Read more

EV startup Canoo has filed for bankruptcy and stopped all operations

Canoo said on Friday night that it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and “will cease operations effective immediately,” after failing to secure enough funding to keep it going. The…

Read more

Supercharger Vs. Turbo: Which Is Better For Drag Racing?

Jamie Squire/Getty Images Broadly speaking, drag racing vehicles of any sort rely on two key factors: power and traction. This relationship usually determines who wins — too little traction or…

Read more

Leave a Reply