Google kills diversity hiring targets

The tech giant is eliminating goals to hire more minority employees and reviewing DEI programs, part of a pullback across Silicon Valley.

Google said it was reviewing recent court decisions and executive orders by President Trump aimed at curbing DEI in the government and federal contractors. Picture: Greg Baker/AFP

Google is eliminating its goal of hiring more employees from historically under-represented groups and reviewing some diversity, equity and inclusion programs, joining other tech giants rethinking their approach to DEI.

In an email to employees Wednesday, Google said it would no longer set hiring targets to improve representation in its workforce.

In 2020, amid calls for racial justice following the police killing of George Floyd, Google set a target of increasing by 30% the proportion of “leadership representation of under-represented groups” by 2025.

Parent company Alphabet’s annual report released Wednesday omitted a sentence stating the company was “committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve.” The sentence was in its reports from 2021 through 2024.

Google also said it was reviewing recent court decisions and executive orders by President Trump aimed at curbing DEI in the government and federal contractors. The company is “evaluating changes to our programs required to comply,” the email said.

Black and Latino people have long been under-represented in the tech industry. Google’s 2024 diversity report said 5.7% of its U.S. employees were Black and 7.5% were Latino.

The companies said it would continue opening and expanding offices in cities with diverse workforces.

“We’ll continue to invest in states across the U.S. — and in many countries globally — but in the future we will no longer have aspirational goals,” the email said.

President Trump’s plan to unravel diversity, equity and inclusion efforts began taking shape in January. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP

Google said it would continue resource groups for under-represented employees. “Google has always been committed to creating a workplace where we hire the best people wherever we operate, create an environment where everyone can thrive, and treat everyone fairly,” the email said. “That’s exactly what you can expect to see going forward.” Facebook owner Meta Platforms last month eliminated the team overseeing its diversity efforts. Meta’s vice president of human resources, Janelle Gale, told employees the “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing.” Amazon in December told employees it would wind down some of its diversity initiatives by the end of 2024. It has removed from its website the phrase “diversity, equity and inclusion are good for business,” while keeping other references to diversity and inclusion.

Several companies have been targeted with shareholder proposals aimed at ending DEI efforts. Apple has recommended that shareholders reject a proposal from the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, to end the company’s inclusion and diversity efforts.

The Wall Street Journal