Google is abandoning its recruitment goals focused on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI), becoming the latest U.S. company to join the trend of scaling back DEI initiatives since former President Trump’s re-election last November.
The Chief People Officer of Google’s parent company Alphabet, Fiona Cicconi, stated in a memo sent to employees on Wednesday (February 5th), “In 2020, we set ambitious recruitment goals and focused on expanding offices outside of California and New York to increase representation. However, going forward, we will no longer have ambitious goals.”
Since 2020, Google has been one of the leading companies in the U.S. advocating for more inclusive policies.
In 2020, Google CEO Sundar Pichai set a target for the company to increase by 30% the number of leaders from underrepresented groups by 2025. At the time, approximately 96% of Google’s U.S. executives were white or Asian, and 73% of global executives were male.
In 2021, Google began evaluating its executives based on their team’s performance in diversity and inclusion, following criticism from a prominent executive in the field of artificial intelligence who was abruptly dismissed after criticizing Google’s diversity efforts. Google’s Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) Melonie Parker stated in an interview with the BBC in 2024 that the company had achieved 60% of its five-year diversity plan.
An Alphabet spokesperson stated on Wednesday that there were no updated data regarding Pichai’s hiring targets.
Alphabet’s annual filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday omitted a line stating, “Committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion a part of everything we do, and to cultivate a workforce that represents the users we serve.”
Google also mentioned that it is reviewing policy changes made by Trump, aimed at curtailing DEI initiatives in government and federal contractors.
In the memo, Cicconi mentioned, “As a federal contractor, our team is also assessing modifications needed for our plans to comply with recent court decisions and U.S. executive orders on this topic.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported this news on Wednesday.
（This article referenced Reuters’ report）