Tech companies like Google and Meta made cuts to DEI programs in 2023 after big promises in prior years
deidiversity-equity-inclusiontech-industrygooglemetaai-bias
Abstraction: Big tech DEI program rollback after 2020 George Floyd commitments
Key points:
- DEI-related job postings declined 44% by mid-2023 year-over-year, reversing a ~30% expansion from 2020–2021
- Google cancelled its 2023 Early Career Immersion (ECI) cohort and cut DEI leadership; Meta laid off its entire Sourcer Development Program (~60 workers)
- Some DEI consulting clients had their budgets cut by as much as 90% by mid-2023
- Experts warn reduced DEI representation in AI development teams will embed historical biases into AI products, widening existing power imbalances
- Supreme Court's June 2023 ruling ending affirmative action in college admissions and political "anti-woke" backlash contributed to the corporate retreat
- Third-party DEI organizations (AfroTech/Blavity, Grace Hopper/AnitaB.org) lost corporate sponsorships, threatening the broader ecosystem
Connections: Google · Meta · Diversity Equity Inclusion · AI Bias · Tech Industry Trends
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/22/google-meta-other-tech-giants-cut-dei-programs-in-2023.html