Apple pushes back against pressure to end DEI policies

At least one Big Tech company is pushing against pressure to roll back policies on diversity, equity and inclusion, also known as DEI. Apple’s board is recommending investors reject a proposal to cease DEI efforts at the company. 

Rebuffing calls to unwind DEI would go against a recent trend seen in tech. Meta announced during the week of Jan. 6 that it was immediately ending DEI efforts, citing the changing legal and policy landscape, and noting the term was “charged.” Later, it came out that Amazon was in the process of rolling back some of its diversity and inclusion programs.

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While the changes at Meta and Amazon have come to light since President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, other companies acted prior. Microsoft laid off its DEI team in summer 2024 due to “changing business needs,” according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider. Google-parent Alphabet also downsized its DEI staff. 

Ahead of Apple’s shareholder meeting in February 2025, Apple told investors the right-leaning National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) is submitting a proposal to end DEI at the world’s largest company. 

“It’s clear that DEI poses litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders, and therefore further risks to companies for not abiding by their fiduciary duties,” the supporting statement reads. 

The NCPPR cited the recent Supreme Court case SFFA v. Harvard. That was the landmark affirmative action case that ruled race-based admissions violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

The NCPPR argued that, should Apple continue its DEI programs, the legal landscape could open the company up to lawsuits that “could reach tens of billions of dollars.” Apple’s market capitalization is valued at around $3.5 trillion.

Apple’s board is recommending investors reject this proposal from the NCPPR.

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“The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program,” the board wrote. “The proposal also inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple’s ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies.”

The board said Apple does not discriminate in hiring or promoting on any basis protected by law, and accused the NCPPR of inappropriately seeking to micromanage the company on legal compliance. Apple shareholders will get to vote on this and other proposals at the annual meeting on Feb. 25.