Posted on January 26, 2025

Trump’s DEI Cuts Force Davos Elite to Find New Words for Diversity

Reuters, January 22, 2025

President Donald Trump’s escalating pressure on the private sector to ditch diversity programs has left some in Davos searching for new words to describe workplace practices they say are essential to their businesses.

Trump has issued a series of executive orders cutting federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, which attempt to promote opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people and other traditionally underrepresented groups.

He has also sought to dissuade private companies that receive government contracts from factoring underrepresentation into hiring decisions.

Trump’s moves on DEI have reverberated through the corridors of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, where gender parity, diverse workforces and better representation of minorities around the world continue to be key goals.

While tech companies Meta and Amazon which hold U.S. government contracts, say they are scaling back some initiatives, other executives at Davos told Reuters they will remain, if by another name.

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Other policymakers and executives said the acronym DEI had become damaging, even as they doubled down on their commitment to diversity.

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One European tech company executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that it would not be rowing back on its commitment to inclusion and diversity.

“For many years we have worked to shape a more sustainable, equitable world. It’s rooted in our company culture,” the person said.

“The world is diverse and employee base reflects that diversity. It is one of the keys to great innovation and is good for business.”

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One European industrial company with a large U.S. footprint said it would continue with its diversity and inclusion programs because they were important to the business as well as society.

“We will stick to our values of tolerance and respect; inclusion is important,” a board member told Reuters, adding: “Companies need to stay the course of the agenda in terms of values and policies, and that’s what we’re doing.”

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