Microsoft laid off a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team this year, with a team leader sending an email saying the initiatives were no longer needed.
The email, sent earlier this month and obtained by Business Insider, is from an individual whose name has not been released. It is unclear how many team employees were laid off.
“True systems-change work associated with DEI programs everywhere are no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020,” said the email, which was sent to thousands of employees, according to BI.
The email reportedly said the DEI team was eliminated due to “changing business needs” as of July 1.
In 2020, following the riots that broke out over the death of George Floyd, Microsoft was one of many companies that pledged to spend millions of dollars to hire more people of color. In June 2020, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sent an email to employees saying the company had “committed to take action to help address racial injustice and inequity, and unequivocally believe that Black lives matter.”
The company promised to invest $150 million in diversity and inclusion, including doubling “the number of Black and African American people managers, senior individual contributors, and senior leaders in the United States by 2025.”
One year after the pledge, the company released a progress report on its “Racial Equity Initiative,” which included spending millions to work on “justice reform,” increasing broadband access, increasing tech education for students as historically black colleges and K-12 computer programs, and funding tech support for black-led nonprofits.
Microsoft now appears to have retreated, at least somewhat, from those efforts – and it’s not the only tech company to do so. Zoom laid off a DEI team earlier this year, saying it would instead work with external consultants from now on, Bloomberg reported. Google and Meta (Facebook) also made cuts to DEI following their 2020 pledges.
CNBC reported last year that DEI-related job postings declined 44% in mid-2023 from the same time period in 2022. By November 2023, the job postings had dropped by 23% year over year. The outlet noted that between 2020 and 2021, DEI job postings increased by nearly 30%.
Still, Microsoft says its commitments to diversity and inclusion “remain unchanged.”
“Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering and we are holding firm on our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to focus on this work,” Microsoft spokesperson, Jeff Jones told BI in a statement.
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Microsoft laid off a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team this year, with a team leader sending an email saying the initiatives were no longer needed.
The email, sent earlier this month and obtained by Business Insider, is from an individual whose name has not been released. It is unclear how many team employees were laid off.
“True systems-change work associated with DEI programs everywhere are no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020,” said the email, which was sent to thousands of employees, according to BI.
The email reportedly said the DEI team was eliminated due to “changing business needs” as of July 1.
In 2020, following the riots that broke out over the death of George Floyd, Microsoft was one of many companies that pledged to spend millions of dollars to hire more people of color. In June 2020, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sent an email to employees saying the company had “committed to take action to help address racial injustice and inequity, and unequivocally believe that Black lives matter.”
The company promised to invest $150 million in diversity and inclusion, including doubling “the number of Black and African American people managers, senior individual contributors, and senior leaders in the United States by 2025.”
One year after the pledge, the company released a progress report on its “Racial Equity Initiative,” which included spending millions to work on “justice reform,” increasing broadband access, increasing tech education for students as historically black colleges and K-12 computer programs, and funding tech support for black-led nonprofits.
Microsoft now appears to have retreated, at least somewhat, from those efforts – and it’s not the only tech company to do so. Zoom laid off a DEI team earlier this year, saying it would instead work with external consultants from now on, Bloomberg reported. Google and Meta (Facebook) also made cuts to DEI following their 2020 pledges.
CNBC reported last year that DEI-related job postings declined 44% in mid-2023 from the same time period in 2022. By November 2023, the job postings had dropped by 23% year over year. The outlet noted that between 2020 and 2021, DEI job postings increased by nearly 30%.
Still, Microsoft says its commitments to diversity and inclusion “remain unchanged.”
“Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering and we are holding firm on our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to focus on this work,” Microsoft spokesperson, Jeff Jones told BI in a statement.
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