Apple shareholders have rejected a proposal on Tuesday that would roll back Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The proposal was originally submitted by conservative thinktank National Center for Public Policy Research which described DEI as “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral,” and claimed that the program posed “litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies.”
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However, Apple CEO Tim Cook defended DEI, saying “We’ve never had quotas or targets for Apple. Our strength has always come from hiring the very best people and then providing a culture of collaboration. Our North Star of dignity and respect for everyone, and our work to that end, will never waver.”
President Donald Trump responded to this by saying “APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM,” Trump wrote. “DEI WAS A HOAX THAT HAS BEEN VERY BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY. DEI IS GONE!!!” in a Wednesday morning post on Truth Social.
Trump has been a vocal critic of DEI programs. Shortly after he took office for his second term, he signed executive orders that purported to “end DEI programs,” claiming he intended to “to forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based.”
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This move proved to be controversial, and the executive orders banning DEI were temporarily blocked by a federal judge. U.S. District Court Judge Adam B. Abelson sided with the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education in a 68-page ruling, issuing a temporary injunction and agreeing that plaintiffs would likely succeed in their argument that the orders were both “unconstitutionally vague” and “chilling [toward] free speech.”
He noted that the executive orders “do not define any of the operative terms, such as ‘DEI,’ ‘equity-related,’ ‘promoting DEI,’ ‘illegal DEI,’ ‘illegal DEI and DEIA policies,’ or ‘illegal discrimination or preferences,’ – let alone identify the types of programs or policies the administration considers ‘illegal.’” Nevertheless, numerous companies have responded by rolling back, or watering down their DEI programs.