Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts have faced unprecedented challenges in 2025. Major companies are adjusting their approach to workplace diversity programs in response to the DEI rollbacks from President Trump’s administration. While some corporations are doubling down on their DEI commitments, others are scaling back initiatives due to the shifting legal landscape, political pressures, and financial considerations. The ramifications from a branding perspective are yet to be fully understood, but consumers and talent are understandably questioning whether organizations ever believed in the policies in the first place, further destabilizing confidence.
In this article, I explore the changing landscape of DEI rollbacks, the influence of the Trump administration, the response from stakeholders, and the broader implications for corporate America.
Companies Rolling Back DEI Initiatives:
Several major companies, including Meta, Amazon, McDonald’s, and Target, have significantly reduced or restructured their DEI efforts. These moves have been driven by policy shifts, legal challenges, and changing attitudes toward inclusion initiatives.
Meta
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has eliminated several DEI-related activities, including supplier diversity programs and its internal DEI function. An internal memo from Meta leadership cited that “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing”. The company has faced pressure from conservative groups arguing that DEI training creates an unfair advantage for certain demographics over others. However, others warn that removing these programs will diminish the leveling practices DEI sought to implement, reverting institutions back to majority biases.
Amazon
Amazon has significantly reduced its DEI commitments in response to legal challenges surrounding workplace culture and federal diversity policies. Over the past year, the company has phased out various inclusion initiatives, including leadership training programs aimed at advancing underrepresented employees and funding for employee resource groups (ERGs) that supported diverse teams. Additionaly, Amazon has reduced its supplier diversity program, which previously allocated contracts to minority-owned businesses, and has shifted its recruitment focus away from explicit diversity hiring goals. The company now emphasizes a “merit-based” approach, sparking debates on whether these policy shifts will hinder the representation of women, Black women, and other historically marginalized groups within Amazon’s workforce.
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts have faced unprecedented challenges in 2025.