Apple and John Deere reject anti-DEI proposals amid corporate walkbacks

The corporate tug-of-war over DEI continues.

This week, Apple and John Deere shareholders voted against anti-DEI proposals, while some other companies have walked back their diversity efforts.

It’s all playing out against the backdrop of an executive order from President Trump that aims to stop federal support for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, which was temporarily blocked by a federal judge last week. Even with some moves on hold, Attorney General Pam Bondi released a memo earlier this month stating that the Department of Justice intends to “investigate, eliminate, and penalize” DEI programs in the private sector and educational institutions that receive federal funds, with a report expected by March 1.

Holding the line: On Tuesday, Apple shareholders rejected a proposal that would have ended its DEI programs, as proposed by the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) conservative think tank—a rejection that the president immediately criticized. A similar proposal from the NCPPR was rejected by Costco shareholders a few weeks ago; the company has reportedly seen a 7% YoY increase in foot traffic since the start of the year, according to Business Insider.

On Wednesday, John Deere, a company that last summer announced it would walk back DEI efforts like participating in or supporting “external social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events,” saw its shareholders reject a proposal from the conservative National Legal and Policy Center to annually report hiring numbers related to race and gender.

Other companies, including e.l.f, Ben & Jerry’s, Microsoft, Lush, and Patagonia, have affirmed their commitments to DEI in the last month.

All eyes on DEI: American Express, Berkshire Hathaway, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Levi’s are among the brands that have been asked to consider anti-DEI proposals from the NCPPR and NLPC in the coming months.

Walking it back? While some brands are holding firm, others have walked back their DEI efforts in the last month, with some citing legal changes under the new administration.

• Bank of America will reportedly stop tracking diversity and inclusion goals, while fellow financial services companies Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup are rewording or removing diversity-related language from public-facing content.
• BlackRock removed references to DEI in its annual report.
• Goldman Sachs removed board diversity requirements for companies it helps go public, citing “legal developments.”
• Deloitte US asked employees working on government contracts to remove gender pronouns from their email signatures.
• Disney ended its “Reimagine Tomorrow” initiative, rebranded its DEI performance metric, and changed the content warnings on some films.
• Google ended its diversity hiring goals and removed cultural holidays like Black History Month and Pride Month from Google Calendar.
• GM, GE, Intel, PayPal, Chipotle, Comcast, 3M, Regeneron, and Philip Morris “deleted or softened” DEI language in their annual reports, NPR reported.
• Paramount, which previously claimed that it “embed[s] DEI into every aspect of our employee experience,” also said this week that it would walk back some efforts.
• PepsiCo confirmed that it would eliminate its chief DEI officer role and rebrand its internal diversity initiatives.
• Pinterest, in its annual report, cited DEI efforts that could be “perceived as insufficient or overdone” as a possible business risk.
• Warner Bros. Discovery is renaming its DEI group as part of a broader rollback, according to an internal memo.

Walmart, Meta, McDonald’s, Lowe’s, Boeing, Ford, Amazon, and Target have also softened or eliminated their DEI commitments in recent months.

Abandonment issues: Target’s DEI walk-back has shown that rolling back prior commitments can come with its own set of risks.

Amid calls for a boycott of the company, Retail Brew reported that foot traffic at Target fell in the weeks after the company walked back its equity initiatives, and on social media, Target’s posts have been flooded with comments from customers calling for a return to DEI commitments. On more than one occasion, commenters have shared that they are opting to shop at Costco instead.