The Blubber

Alphabet’s Google is ending its goal to hire more employees from historically underrepresented groups and is reassessing several diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Google’s move aligns with other U.S. corporations that have recently scaled back their diversity efforts, despite once expanding these programs following the 2020 protests sparked by the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans.

Alphabet did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

Notably, Alphabet’s latest annual filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) omitted a key statement present in its reports from 2021 to 2023. The missing line had previously affirmed that the company was "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."

The WSJ report also stated that Google is reviewing recent court decisions and executive orders by President Donald Trump aimed at restricting DEI practices in government agencies and among federal contractors.

Earlier this month, Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent company, revealed in an internal memo that it was ending its DEI programs, including those related to hiring, training, and supplier diversity.

Amazon similarly informed its employees through an internal memo that it was "winding down outdated programs and materials" connected to representation and inclusion.

Conservative groups, bolstered by the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down affirmative action in university admissions, have increasingly targeted corporate DEI programs, often threatening legal action against companies that maintain them.

Most recently, Elon Musk and other allies of President Trump blamed DEI initiatives for slowing response efforts to the severe wildfires in Los Angeles, attributing these programs to what they described as inefficiencies in management and resource allocation.