{"id":2134682,"date":"2023-12-27T16:44:01","date_gmt":"2023-12-27T21:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dei-on-the-decline-in-big-tech-three-years-after-george-floyds-death\/"},"modified":"2023-12-27T16:47:55","modified_gmt":"2023-12-27T21:47:55","slug":"dei-on-the-decline-in-big-tech-three-years-after-george-floyds-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dei-on-the-decline-in-big-tech-three-years-after-george-floyds-death\/","title":{"rendered":"DEI in Big Tech declining 3 years post George Floyd&#8217;s death"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdei-on-the-decline-in-big-tech-three-years-after-george-floyds-death%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2134682&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Big Tech Companies Cutting Back \u200con Diversity Efforts<\/h2>\n<p>Big Tech companies are making significant cuts to their diversity, equity, and inclusion\u2063 (DEI) departments, a stark contrast to their previous commitments following the death of George Floyd nearly three years ago.<\/p>\n<p>According to Layoffs.fyi, technology companies have been struggling and have had to\u200c lay off hundreds of thousands \u2064of workers in 2023. Over 260,000\u200b workers in the\u2064 tech sector lost their \u2062jobs at more than 1,160 \u200ccompanies, with DEI positions being particularly affected.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;These tech platforms are starving \u200cfor well-trained engineers \u2062due to prioritizing DEI principles\u2062 over core\u2063 competencies,&#8221; said \u200cDan Schneider, vice president of \u200cFree Speech America at the \u200bMedia Research Center.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite public claims by companies like Google and Meta about their investments in increasing diversity internally, \u200ctheir actions \u200dsuggest otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>In 2020, Google and Meta made commitments\u2063 to \u2064improve\u2064 diversity in response to George \u2064Floyd&#8217;s \u2064death and\u200c the Black Lives Matter \u2064movement. Google pledged to increase the number of minorities in leadership by 2025, double the number\u200b of black workers by 2025, address representation shortcomings \u200din hiring,\u2062 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/treasury-secretary-janet-yellen-we-have-to-consider-rising-inflation-rates-when-doing-stimulus-package\/\" title=\"Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen: \u2018We Have To Consider\u2019 Rising Inflation Rates When Doing Stimulus Package\">provide additional support<\/a>\u2062 for the health \u2062of black employees.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook&#8217;s parent company also claimed success \u200bin increasing the number of minority and\u2063 female employees in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>However, as \u200dcompanies looked to cut costs, the DEI\u2064 departments were not spared.\u200c Bloomberg\u200c reported that tech companies began cutting DEI jobs in early 2023 as part of larger job\u200c cuts. This included special \u200dprojects aimed\u200b at promoting the hiring \u200cof minorities.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Google decided not to hire a cohort of software engineers for \u200bits Early Career Immersion program in \u20622023 due to uncertain hiring outlooks. Other companies,\u200c such as \u200bMeta, also made cuts to personnel responsible for hiring minorities, including letting go of members \u200dof their Sourcer Development \u2062Program.<\/p>\n<p>Despite these cuts, Amazon, Meta, and\u200b Google maintain that DEI remains a \u2063priority for their companies.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Our commitment to DEI remains at the \u2063center of who \u200bwe are \u2062as a company,&#8221; stated a \u200cMeta spokesperson. &#8220;We continue \u2062to intentionally design equitable and fair practices\u200d to drive progress across our people, product, policy, and partnerships pillars.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Lawmakers have \u200btaken notice\u2063 of the reduction in diverse staff. Rep. Barbara Lee and\u200d other members \u2062of the Congressional Black Caucus sent \u2064a letter to acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, expressing concern \u200babout the disproportionate firing of black workers.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Tech companies who previously agreed to address bias and discrimination and create greater opportunities in the workforce are now\u200d quietly defunding diversity pledges,&#8221;\u200d they wrote in the letter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>These\u2063 DEI cuts appear to be part of \u200ca larger \u200bcost-cutting effort by Big Tech companies, which\u200c grew larger than expected during the \u200bCOVID-19 \u2062pandemic\u2062 but found that\u200c their \u2063revenue \u200bdid not match\u2062 their size \u200bin\u2062 the following years.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the reduction in diversity efforts raises questions about the true commitment of these companies to creating inclusive\u200b work environments.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How does recent data suggest that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">big tech companies<\/a>&#8216; commitments to\u200b diversity and inclusion \u2064might be falling short?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2062Made similar \u2062commitments, announcing a\u200d $1 billion investment \u2062in Black and diverse suppliers and a goal \u2063to double the number\u2062 of black and Hispanic \u2063employees by 2023. However, recent data suggests \u200dthat \u200cthese efforts might\u2063 be falling short.<\/p>\n<p>In \u200dOctober 2022, Google laid off 6% of its global marketing workforce,\u200d including employees from its DEI team. Similarly, Facebook announced\u200d in November of the same \u2062year that \u2063it would be cutting back on its diversity initiatives, with staff reductions \u2062in its DEI team. These\u2063 announcements are concerning, especially considering the tech industry&#8217;s existing \u200cdiversity challenges.<\/p>\n<p>According to the\u2062 diversity\u200b reports \u200creleased\u2063 by these\u2062 companies, progress has been\u200b slow. In \u20642021, \u2063Google reported that just 4.5% \u200dof its workforce \u2063identified as Black, an increase \u2063of only 0.2% from the previous\u200c year. Meta&#8217;s 2021 diversity\u200c report showed slightly better numbers, with \u200d6.2% of\u200c its US workforce identifying as Black, but the \u200coverall representation of Black \u2062employees at these companies remains significantly below the \u200dnational \u200daverage.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, reports\u200b indicate that DEI efforts are often \u200bseen \u200cas\u2063 external public relations strategies, rather than genuine commitments to change. Employees have\u200c criticized \u2063these initiatives as performative, with minimal impact \u2063on the existing lack of diversity and inclusion within these organizations.<\/p>\n<p>The COVID-19 pandemic and its \u2064subsequent economic \u200ddownturn have undoubtedly put pressure on businesses,\u200c leading to \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lawsuit-alec-baldwin-had-no-reason-to-fire-gun-during-scene-being-rehearsed\/\" title=\"Lawsuit: Alec Baldwin Had No Reason to Fire Gun During Scene Being Rehearsed\">cost-cutting measures<\/a>. However, reducing diversity efforts during this time sends a troubling message about the importance placed on equity \u2063and \u2064inclusion within these companies.<\/p>\n<p>Diversity in the tech industry is not just a moral imperative; it is also essential for driving innovation and\u200d creativity. Studies \u200dhave shown that diverse\u2062 teams are\u2064 more likely to develop innovative solutions, reach \u2064broader markets,\u2063 and \u2064outperform their competitors. \u200bBy neglecting\u2064 diversity \u200defforts, tech \u200ccompanies risk hindering\u2064 their long-term\u200c growth and sustainability.<\/p>\n<p>It \u200bis \u2064crucial for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-challenges-biden-for-censor-in-chief-title\/\" title=\"Newsom challenges Biden as the Censor-In-Chief.\">big\u200d tech companies<\/a> to reevaluate their priorities and commit to\u2063 sustaining \u2064and expanding their diversity\u200b efforts. This\u200d includes investing in pipeline programs that support underrepresented communities and ensuring \u200dequitable hiring \u2062and promotion practices. Companies must act transparently,\u2063 setting\u2063 concrete goals, \u200cmeasuring progress, and being accountable for the results.<\/p>\n<p>The tech industry has a \u200cunique opportunity to lead by\u2063 example and set new standards for \u200cdiversity and inclusion.\u200c By forging \u200ba \u200bmore equitable and\u200b inclusive industry, tech companies can strive\u2063 towards greater societal \u200bimpact and \u200bcreate a culture that truly values and embraces diversity in all its forms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Big Tech firms are reducing diversity, equity, and inclusion staff, a shift from their previous pledges made after George Floyd&#8217;s death. In 2023, technology companies faced challenges, leading to layoffs of over 260,000 employees, as reported by Layoffs.fyi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2134683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2134682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2134682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2134682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2134682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2134683"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2134682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2134682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2134682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}