Apple shareholders on Tuesday rejected a proposal to end the iPhone maker’s diversity, equity and inclusion program.
The National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, had called on Apple to follow other major companies in backing off from DEI, which has come under fire by Republicans and President Donald Trump.
“DEI poses litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders, and therefore further risks to companies for not abiding by their fiduciary duties,” according to the proposal offered by the group. It offered a similar proposal at Costco’s annual meeting in January that shareholders also rejected.
“The risks to Apple stemming from continuing to push these divisive and value-destroying agendas is only increasing in light of President Trump’s recent executive order focusing the Department of Justice on rooting out illegal discrimination being carried out in the name of DEI,” Stephen Padfield, executive director of the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project, said in a prerecorded statement played to shareholders on Tuesday.
“The vibe shift is clear, DEI is out and annual merit is in,” Padfield said.
In responding to the anti-DEI proposal, Apple defended its diversity program as an integral part of its corporate culture, crediting the policies in part for making the technology giant the most valuable company in the world.
“We’ve never had quotas or targets for Apple. Our strength has always come from hiring the very best people and then providing a culture of collaboration,” Apple CEO Tim Cook stated during the meeting’s question-and-answer period. “As the legal landscape around these issues evolves, we may need to make some changes to comply. But our North Star of dignity and respect for everyone, and our work to that end, will never waver,” added Cook.
DEI, aimed at promoting fairness in the workplace and opening career paths for people of color, women and other protected classes, gained momentum after the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
But that trend has unraveled of late, with technology titan Google and discount store chain Target joining Walmart and other corporations in scaling back their diversity initiatives under pressure from conservative activists emboldened by court rulings and by President Trump, who has banned DEI programs across the federal government.
contributed to this report.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-dei-shareholders-vote-diversity-equity-inclusion/
