Google has decided to discontinue its diversity increase among its workforce, opting to step back from its previously stated goals of hiring underrepresented groups.
The decision, communicated to employees via an internal email, aligns with a current fad among U.S. corporations scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Fiona Cicconi, Alphabet’s chief people officer, informed staff on Wednesday that the company would no longer maintain “aspirational hiring goals.”
She stated, “In 2020, we set aspirational hiring goals and focused on growing our offices outside California and New York to improve representation… but in the future, we will no longer have aspirational goals.”
Google initially set these targets in response to the protests following the killing of George Floyd in 2020. At the time, CEO Sundar Pichai committed to increasing the representation of leaders from underrepresented groups by 30% by 2025. However, the company has not provided any recent updates on its progress toward this goal.
The change is also evident in Google’s latest filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The company has removed a longstanding statement that previously affirmed its focus on making DEI a fundamental part of its workforce strategy.
A spokesperson for Alphabet explained to Reuters that this omission shows the company’s ongoing review of its DEI programs.
The decision by Google to scale back on diversity hiring has been condemned by employee groups and labour organisations. Parul Koul, president of the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), called it “a real attack on gains that workers have made in the tech industry through movements fighting against racism, gender and LGBTQ discrimination, going all the way back to the civil rights movement.”
She further described the move as part of “a troubling right-wing, anti-worker trend developing within tech companies that AWU is committed to fighting against.”
Though rolling back some DEI policies, Google has stated that it will continue to support internal employee groups such as “Trans at Google,” “Black Googler Network,” and the “Disability Alliance,” which contribute to company policies and product decisions.
Companies such as Meta and Amazon are also scaling back their diversity goals. Meta recently announced that it would be ending its DEI programs related to hiring, training, and supplier selection, while Amazon has stated that it is “winding down outdated programs and materials” related to diversity.
The corporate retreat from DEI initiatives has been revved by legal and political factors, including a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned affirmative action in university admissions. Conservative groups have challenged corporate diversity programs, arguing they promote preferential treatment.
Added to these, Google has noted that as a federal contractor, it is reviewing how its DEI programs align with recent U.S. government policy changes. “Because we are a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes to our programs required to comply with recent court decisions and U.S. Executive Orders on this topic,” Cicconi told employees.
