Apple Says No to Scrapping DEI
Apple's shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to scuttle the company's pro-diversity programs and initiatives.
At Apple’s annual meeting on February 25, an overwhelming percentage of shareholders rejected a proposal to scrap the tech giant’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
The National Center for Public Policy Research, a right-wing think tank that has been leading the charge against DEI policies in the corporate sphere, submitted a proposal demanding Apple scuttle its DEI programs and initiatives.
NCPPR frequently claims that DEI initiatives are inherently racist, discriminating against whites, males, and other groups by elevating racial minorities and members of historically marginalized groups.
In an effort to convince corporations to drop DEI, the organization has argued that keeping pro-diversity programs places them at greater risk of lawsuits from individuals, contractors, or suppliers who may claim to have been victims of discrimination.
Apple countered the proposal with a statement saying it has an active oversight effort to avoid lawsuits. It argued that the proposal inappropriately restricts the company’s “ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies.”
Shareholders ultimately defeated the NCPPR proposal, with 8.84 billion votes against it and only 210.45 million votes in favor of it.
While Apple discloses diversity data about its employees, the company says it has not set targets or quotas. Instead, its DEI efforts are primarily in the form of programs such as a racial justice initiative to support minority-owned businesses or donate money to historically Black colleges and universities.
Reuters reports that it also carries out some DEI programs outside of the United States, such as teaching coding skills to Indigenous populations in Mexico or working with members of Australia’s Aboriginal community on criminal justice reform efforts.
President Donald Trump has been critical of DEI programs, branding them as discriminatory and issuing an executive order to eliminate DEI in the federal government. The president has also floated the idea of using the Justice Department to pressure private corporations to drop DEI initiatives by threatening legal action against them.
However, a federal judge recently blocked several provisions of Trump’s anti-DEI executive order as it related to private companies that contract with the U.S. government.
As reported by The Hill, Trump took to his personal social media platform, Truth Social, urging Apple to end its DEI programs.
“APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM,” Trump screeched. “DEI WAS A HOAX THAT HAS BEEN VERY BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY. DEI IS GONE!!!”
Apple’s rejection of NCPPR’s proposal stands in contrast to other tech companies, including Meta, Google, and Amazon, which have scrapped DEI programs or commitments to diversity as their CEOs seek to cozy up to the Trump administration.
The shareholder vote echoes a similar move made by wholesale goods retailer Costco to stand by its pro-diversity efforts. Costco was presented with a nearly identical proposal, which was ultimately rejected by 98% of shareholders at the company’s annual shareholder meeting last month.
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