Apple (APPL) investors voted down a proposal to scrap the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, backing the tech giant’s efforts to push back against a DEI retreat that is taking hold elsewhere in Silicon Valley.
A majority of shareholders on Tuesday rejected the request from the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, that the company “abolish” its DEI efforts because the programs pose litigation, reputation, and financial risks. The company had recommended stockholders reject the proposal.
“We’ve never had quotas or targets for Apple,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said during the company’s shareholder meeting Tuesday.
“Our strength has always come from hiring the very best people and then providing a culture of collaboration, one where people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives come together to innovate and create something magical for our users time and time again.”
The stance sets up a stark divide in Silicon Valley as corporate DEI goals come under intensifying scrutiny in Washington, D.C.
Google (GOOG, GOOGL) recently backed away from diversity hiring targets, joining Meta (META) and Amazon (AMZN) among major Silicon Valley firms that have done about-faces on certain corporate diversity initiatives.
Meta said in January it planned to scrap its DEI team. Amazon reportedly told its employees in December the company would wind down outdated diversity programs and materials.
Microsoft (MSFT), on the other hand, has said it is keeping its talent, diversity, inclusion, and learning team intact. In December, its chief diversity officer Lindsay-Rae McIntyre published a defense of the company’s approach to the issue on LinkedIn.
“The business case” for diversity and inclusion, wrote McIntyre, “is not only constant but stronger than ever.”
Cook on Tuesday referenced some recent legal developments that are causing many companies to reconsider their DEI stance, saying “as the legal landscape around these issues evolves, we may need to make some changes to comply.”
But he added that “we’ll continue to work together to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work, and we’ll remain committed to the values that have always made us who we are.”
Momentum for sunsetting DEI programs gained steam in 2023 when the US Supreme Court decided a set of cases in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard that outlawed race as a factor for colleges to make admission decisions.
The court held that race-based considerations were discriminatory and violated the Constitution’s 14th Amendment and Equal Protection clause.
