Google Drops Diversity Targets as US Tech Firms Review DEI
Silicon Valley's decade-long push for workplace diversity is reversing. Companies that championed targets for hiring underrepresented groups after 2020’s social justice movements are now dismantling these programmes, marking the end of an era in technology industry recruitment.
The latest shift comes from Alphabet’s Google, which is reportedly ending its targets for hiring employees from underrepresented groups as part of a broader review of its diversity initiatives. The move signals a significant pivot in Silicon Valley’s relationship with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes – initiatives that gained momentum following social justice movements in 2020.
Major US tech firms abandon DEI targets
The decision follows similar moves by Meta and Amazon, while traditional businesses including McDonald’s, Walmart and Ford have also scaled back diversity programmes.
The changes come after President Donald Trump signed two executive orders in January 2025 targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes – initiatives designed to increase representation of historically marginalised groups – within the US government and its contractors.
Google diversity targets face executive order pressure
The company must comply with new requirements as a federal contractor. “We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities,” a Google spokesperson told BBC News. “We’ve updated our [annual investor report] language to reflect this and, as a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic.”
The executive orders centre on “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” and “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing”. They revoke legislation promoting diversity within government and call for deterring large organisations from maintaining DEI programmes “that constitute illegal discrimination or preferences”.
One of the orders claims: “roughly 60 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, critical and influential institutions of American society have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' (DEI) or 'diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility' (DEIA) that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation.”
Historical commitment to workplace diversity
Google introduced its first Head of Diversity position in 2005 and implemented unconscious bias training – programmes designed to help employees recognise and mitigate unintended prejudices – in 2013.
In 2020, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai set a target for 30% more leadership positions to be filled by underrepresented groups by 2025. At that time, men held over 70% of leadership roles, with 96% of leaders identifying as white or Asian.
The company’s 2024 Diversity Annual Report outlines workplace policies based on five core principles: care, commitment, fairness and consistency, transparency and accountability. These principles guide Google’s approach to implementing workplace policies and measuring progress on diversity initiatives.
Measurable progress in representation
By 2022, Google announced that it has achieved its Racial Equity Commitment, increasing Black+, Latinx+, and Native American+ employees in leadership positions by 30%. This milestone marked progress toward the company's broader goals for diversifying its workforce across all levels of the organisation.
“Google’s mission – to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful – requires us to design, create and build for everyone, every day,” said Melonie Parker, Chief Diversity Officer at Google, in the company’s 2024 report. “We do a better job for our users when we keep that mission front and centre.”
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