As the official inauguration of the Donald Trump administration approaches, large IT corporations that had previously been at odds with President-elect Trump have begun to show a pro-Trump stance. It is explained that they have rushed to align themselves with the political and cultural views of President-elect Trump.
On the 11th (local time), U.S. internet media Axios and Reuters reported that Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced in an internal memo sent to employees the previous day that it would end its 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI) policies that had been applied to hiring, training, and supplier selection.
Meta noted, 'The legal and policy environment surrounding DEI is changing in the U.S.' and explained that while it will continue to seek employees from diverse backgrounds, it will abolish the existing method of selecting candidates aligned with the diversity initiative. Amazon also mentioned in a memo sent to employees last month that it is reducing outdated programs related to diversity, with a goal to complete this by the end of 2024.
After the racial justice movement gained momentum following the death of George Floyd, a Black man, due to police brutality in 2020, U.S. corporations successively adopted DEI policies. However, the conservative faction in the U.S., which argued that DEI policies were discriminatory, ramped up pressure on corporations to abolish DEI after the Supreme Court ruled that affirmative action in college admissions was unconstitutional two years ago.
With President-elect Trump, who opposes DEI policies, successfully reclaiming power, corporations like McDonald's and Walmart have also begun to abolish their DEI policies.
The recent termination of Meta's diversity policy came just three days after it discontinued 'third-party fact-checking' to determine misinformation and establish facts on its social media platforms, including Facebook. It is widely analyzed that this decision to abolish fact-checking aligns with the view of President-elect Trump's side that 'social media should eliminate self-censorship functions.'
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has also continued actions that seem aimed at winning over President-elect Trump's favor, including hiring Dana White, the CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, who is regarded as one of Trump's closest associates, as a director, and promoting Joel Kaplan, a well-known Republican figure, to the position of global policy head.