Another tech company is abandoning its diversity targets. Because it's a federal contractor, providing technology services to the government through its cloud-computing arm, Google says the move is necessary to comply with Trump's executive order seeking to rid the federal government of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, according to a Wednesday note to employees viewed by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. In 2020, Google pledged to boost the number of its leaders from underrepresented groups by 30% by 2025. Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi told employees there will no longer be such "aspirational goals."
Google's annual report, shared Wednesday, omits a line expressing a commitment "to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve," for the first time since 2021, the Journal reports. Cicconi told employees Google is reviewing its DEI programs and initiatives, looking to cut those that "raise risk, or that aren't as impactful as we'd hoped." It is also considering whether to end its annual diversity reports. The latest showed the company's share of Black workers increased from 3.7% in 2020 to 5.7% in 2024, while Latino workers increased from 5.9% to 7.5%.
Part of the company's efforts to increase the number of Black and Latino workers involved expanding offices in Atlanta and Washington, the Times reports. Google says it will continue opening and expanding offices in cities with diverse workforces, per the Journal. Cicconi said the company will continue to "hire the best people wherever we operate, create an environment where everyone can thrive, and treat everyone fairly" and keep resource groups for underrepresented employees. Numerous other companies have recently scaled back DEI programs, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, McDonald's, and Ford, per Time. (More Google stories.)
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