US Corporate Giants Ditch Diversity Rules Amid Shift in Federal Policy
Major US companies are quietly eliminating diversity and inclusion (DEI) rules for their boards of directors, according to an analysis by ESGAUGE. In the past three years, 61 Standard & Poor's 100 companies have dropped explicit DEI criteria for future board members.
The companies include Apple Inc., Alphabet Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Starbucks Corp., and Wells Fargo & Co. This shift began in 2023 and accelerated over the past year as the Trump administration dismantled DEI programs across federal agencies, universities, and government contractors.
Heather Spilsbury, CEO of 50/50 Women on Boards, said 'It's always easier to tear something down than it is to build it up.' The data also show that six companies - Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Capital One Financial Corp., Microsoft Corp., Starbucks, Uber Technologies Inc., and Wells Fargo - had adopted DEI criteria for CEO succession but have since removed that language.
Not all companies have dropped DEI commitments. Microsoft still singles out 'highly qualified women and individuals from minority groups' for future CEO searches. The share of companies with Rooney Rule-like provisions has also fallen sharply, to 12% from 58%, over the past year.