Apple pushes back against attempts dismantle DEI initiatives

Apple’s board of directors have asked shareholders to vote against a proposal to end the tech giant’s diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) programmes.

The proposal, which comes as other tech companies roll back DEI ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, was put forward by the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a conservative think tank which wants the iPhone and Mac manufacturer to ditch the initiatives because such policies allegedly expose the company to legal and financial risks.

Ahead of its annual general meeting on 25 February, the board issued a filing to investors, urging them to vote against the proposal, saying: “Apple has a well-established compliance programme and the proposal inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple’s ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people
and teams, and business strategies.

“Our board and management maintain active oversight of legal and regulatory risks and compliance for our global business.”

Apple’s stance comes as other big US businesses have distanced themselves from such programmes and policies in recent months, both because of a campaign led by right-wing pundit Robby Starbuck and Trump’s imminent return to the Oval Office.

Last week, both Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Threads, and Amazon announced they were rolling back DEI initiatives, citing changes to the “legal and policy landscape” and the “charged” nature of the term.

Meta’s decision came just days after they announced a controversial decision to no longer moderate topics such as immigration and gender and to end their fact-checking programme.

The changes, alongside an update to Meta’s hateful conduct policy, mean social media users will be able to call LGBTQ+ people “mentally ill”, “freaks” and “abnormal”.

In response, some LGBTQ+ employees have reportedly called in sick, citing “mental illness”.

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