Google ends diversity hiring, says will no longer have ‘aspirational goals’

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., informed staff that it will no longer publicly pursue efforts to increase worker diversity. This is the most recent development in Silicon Valley’s retreat from policies that have lost support under US President Donald Trump’s administration. In a memo to staff members that Bloomberg saw on Wednesday, Google stated that it was reevaluating its initiatives and would no longer have “aspirational goals” connected to representation. The move was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. In a statement, a Google representative stated, “We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year we’ve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there.”

“Our teams are also assessing the necessary modifications in light of recent court rulings and executive orders on this subject as a federal contractor.” After Trump made it apparent that he wants to eradicate diversity, equity, and inclusion from businesses and the federal workforce, Google took this action. He has requested that government agencies determine which businesses and other entities ought to be looked into for engaging in “illegal DEI” activities. Following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to outlaw affirmative action in college admissions, businesses have also started evaluating their policies to protect themselves against legal problems. Following the pressure, companies like Walmart Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Meta Platforms Inc. withdrew from DEI in recent months.

The state of Oklahoma is attempting to use its power as an investor to put an end to DEI in corporate America, and Alphabet is one of the businesses that is facing an anti-DEI shareholder petition. In Silicon Valley, where businesses were previously thought to be a stronghold of liberal values, the change has been especially noticeable. According to Bloomberg, Google took down a section of their AI tenets earlier this week that promised to refrain from applying AI to potentially dangerous uses, such weapons.