by Sharelle Burt
July 18, 2024
A spokesperson from Microsoft released a statement defending their stance on DEI stating, its “D&I commitments remain unchanged.”
The Microsoft team that focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) was quietly dismantled as the team lead criticized the tech company’s lack of investment.
The team was made aware of the layoffs via email on Jul. 1 that claimed the elimination was a result of “changing business needs.” While it is unclear how many employees the move affected, one employee, the team’s lead, took the time to blast the decision. “True systems-change work associated with DEI programs everywhere are no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020,” a leader wrote.
The comment was in reference to the slew of companies, including Microsoft, who committed to make improvements to diversity efforts following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, igniting the Black Lives Matter movement. Microsoft pledged to invest $150 million into DEI, which would double the number of Black and African-American leaders throughout the company by 2025.
However, the tech conglomerate is now added to a growing list of corporations that have retreated from their pledge. Corporations such as Zoom, Google, and Meta cut DEI programs in 2022. As a result, according to the New York Post, DEI-related job postings dropped by 44% by mid-2023 in comparison to the same timeframe the year prior.
In July 2024, major corporations in other industries are also cutting ties with DEI initiatives. The CEO of farm supply company, Tractor Supply Co., came under fire from the National Black Farmers Association for eliminating most of its corporate diversity and climate advocacy efforts. CNN also scrapped its award-winning DEI department, citing the affected reporters were assigned to different newsroom areas “but race and equality is very much still their focus.”
A spokesperson from Microsoft released a statement defending their stance on DEI, stating its “D&I commitments remain unchanged.” “Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering, and we are holding firm on our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to focus on this work,” spokesperson Jeff Jones said.
Microsoft’s annual “Diversity & Inclusion Report,” released in 2023, revealed that black employees make up 6.7% of its global workforce, which is an increase of 2.2% from 2019. Hispanic employees represent only 8%.
The layoffs come at an interesting time as the company normally makes workforce cuts during this time of year as the fiscal year rolls over. An estimated 10,000 employees were projected to be cut within the first few months of 2023 however, additional rounds of layoffs have wrapped up since then.
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