List of global companies that have 'retracted' diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and those that are 'defending' them, with two Japanese companies on the list



Donald Trump, who took office as the US President in January 2025, is pursuing a policy to

revoke the previous administration's 'Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)' initiatives. Before the administration even took office, Meta had abandoned its fact-checking system, and many companies, including Amazon and Google , have followed the US government's new policy. Axios, a news media outlet that covers politics and current affairs, has compiled a list of companies that have abolished or rolled back their DEI initiatives, as well as major companies that are sticking to them.

Which companies are rolling back DEI and which are standing firm
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/16/dei-rollback-companies-amazon-meta-mcdonalds

According to Axios, there have long been calls in the United States for companies to end their DEI initiatives, and these calls have gained momentum since the inauguration of the second Trump administration.

As a result, companies are becoming less vocal about their DEI efforts and, when they do, are toning them down. For example, a survey by market research firm AlphaSense found that the frequency with which corporate leaders used the terms 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' or 'DEI' during earnings calls fell by about 82% between the second quarter of 2021 and the third quarter of 2024.



In particular, Axios pointed out that the corporate HR world was shocked when the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), a professional association with approximately 325,000 members in 165 countries around the world,

announced in July 2024 that it would remove equity from DEI and 'effectively adopt the abbreviation 'I&D' instead of 'IE&D.''

Robbie Starbuck , an anti-DEI activist and known ally of President Trump, claims credit for this movement, but in reality there are a lot more factors at play.

For example, companies such as Meta, McDonald's, Brown-Forman , the liquor manufacturer famous for Jack Daniel's, and home improvement manufacturer Lowe's cite the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that found affirmative action that considers race in college admissions unconstitutional as a reason to change their DEI policies.

However, it has also been pointed out that this is a kind of pretense, and Ann O'Leary, a partner at the international law firm Jenner & Block, said, 'The Supreme Court's decision has certainly been one of the catalysts for companies to reconsider DEI. However, from a purely legal perspective, the legal risks associated with continuing to practice DEI appear to be low. In other words, companies are looking at the overall environment around them, including public opinion on social media and the current political climate in which Elon Musk and other close aides to the president have attacked specific companies over DEI.'



Axios has compiled the following list of major organizations that have ended or rolled back DEI efforts, as well as organizations that have committed to continuing their efforts. The list is updated regularly, and is current as of the time of writing.

Companies and organizations that have abandoned or scaled back DEI programs
・Accenture
・Amazon
・Boeing
・Booz Allen Hamilton
・Brown-Forman
・Caterpillar
Disney
・Ford
・Goldman Sachs
Google
・Harley-Davidson
・John Deere
・Lowe's
・Molson Coors
McDonald's
・Meta
Nissan
・Public Broadcasting Service (US Public Broadcasting Service)
・Stanley Black & Decker
・Target
・Tractor Supply
Toyota
・Walmart

Companies and organizations reaffirm their commitment to DEI
・American Airlines
・Apple
・Cisco
・Costco
・Delta
・JPMorgan Chase
・McKinsey & Company
Microsoft
・Nasdaq
・NFL (National Football League)
・Pinterest
・Salesforce
・Southwest Airlines
・United Airlines

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