Microsoft faced criticism this week after news outlets reported that it had cut staff in its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program. But the company stated that despite reports to the contrary, its commitments to employee diversity have not changed.
Citing an internal email that it had received from an employee, a report in Business Insider, which circulated among the financial media, stated that Microsoft’s DEI staff had been severely culled or eliminated. A senior DEI staffer reportedly complained that diversity was “no longer business critical” at Microsoft.
However, in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, Microsoft spokesperson Jeff Jones stated that “our D&I commitments 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,” Mr. Jones stated.
Several tech companies, including Google and Meta, recently announced deep cuts to their DEI staff, which many observers saw as a trend among corporations of scaling back commitments to racial and gender-based staffing policies. Among the reasons for stepping back from DEI programs are cost cutting and the potential for violating U.S. federal and state civil rights laws, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender or race.
But according to a source connected to the company, Microsoft is maintaining its DEI commitments. The staff cuts in question concerned two DEI positions that were duplicative and did not report into the GTDDI team, which will continue executing on Microsoft’s D&I commitments.
Microsoft’s Global Talent, Development, Diversity and Inclusion (GTDDI) team, led by Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, chief diversity officer and corporate vice president of talent development, remains in place, the source said. Ms. McIntyre’s LinkedIn profile also lists her as still holding her position.
Race and gender-based staffing programs became prevalent throughout corporate America over the past decade.
Companies including Wells Fargo, United Airlines, JPMorgan Chase, Delta Airlines, Ralph Lauren, and Estee Lauder announced race-based hiring and promotion policies after the 2020 death of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of police officers. United Airlines announced in April 2021 that half of its new pilot trainees will be women or “people of color.”
A 2021 survey by World At Work found that more than eight out of 10 of the 656 companies polled had a race or gender-based DEI initiative in place. And according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, DEI programs are “vital indicators that both employees and potential candidates use to identify the most progressive, supportive, and innovative companies.
But DEI programs have their critics as well.
In a Jan. 4 exchange on X, Elon Musk, who purchased the social media platform, stated that “discrimination on the basis of race, which DEI does, is literally the definition of racism.”
In response, tech entrepreneur Marc Cuban, who owns the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, said DEI was a “core principle of business,” and added, “If you don’t think there is a need for DEI and it doesn’t create a competitive advantage for your company, just look at the @x posts/replies/quotes below ... These are the same people that work for you or are your co-workers.”
Mr. Musk replied, “Cool, so when should we expect to see short white/Asian women on the Mavs?”
