On Wednesday, Google sent a memo to staff stating that it will no longer use target diversity numbers in the hiring process as a result of one of President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
The Details: A Google spokesperson said, “We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities.” The memo indicated other DEI programs may be cut as well.
For Context: In 2020, Google announced a goal of increasing representation of minority groups in its leadership by 30%. On Jan. 20 of this year, Trump signed an Executive Order that banned federal contractors, like Google, from engaging in DEI. Meta, another leading tech company which owns Facebook and Instagram, shut down their DEI programs in early January.
How the Media Covered It: Townhall (Right bias) reported Trump’s executive order as “demanding government contractors scrap these ‘woke’ initiatives.” It also quoted Consumers’ Research’s executive director saying, "Race-based hiring quotas are immoral and un-American and we applaud Google for its decision to end them.” New York Times (Lean Left) claimed the company “abandoned” diversity targets. Quartz (Center) added comments from an executive at Alphabet, Google’s parent company, who said “Listening to the personal accounts of members of our Black Advisory Leadership Group and our Black+ Googlers has only reinforced for me the reality our Black communities face: one where systemic racism permeates every aspect of life, from interactions with law enforcement, to access to housing and capital, to health care, education, and the workplace.”
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