Amazon Quietly Rolls Back DEI Programs After Evaluating ‘Effectiveness’

Jeff Bezos’s Amazon is the latest mega company to claim it is scaling back some of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives after such programs began garnering backlash for being ineffective and “woke.”

In a December memo to employees obtained by Bloomberg, Amazon senior human resources executive Candi Castleberry said the company was “winding down outdated programs and materials,” and that the consolidation and end of certain programs was on track to be completed by the end of that month. 

Castleberry’s previous title, vice president of global DEI, was changed in 2023 to vice president of Inclusive eXperiences and Technology, the outlet noted.

“Rather than have individual groups build programs, we are focusing on programs with proven outcomes — and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture,” the HR executive added.

While the specific programs that were ended were not listed by Bloomberg, the outlet reported that they included DEI programs. 

A memo obtained by Fox Business stated that Amazon executives had been “evaluat[ing] their effectiveness” for the last few years. 

“We worked to unify employee groups together under one umbrella, and build programs that are open to all,” the memo states. “Rather than have individual groups build programs, we are focusing on programs with proven outcomes – and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture.”

Amazon also recently “scrubbed” webpages titled “Equity for Black people” and “LGBTQ+ rights” from its “Our Positions” section on its website, the outlet reported.

The company pledged $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund last month, Breitbart News reported.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and more — terminated all of its DEI programs this week, citing a changing “legal and policy landscape” surrounding those types of initiatives. 

“The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI,” Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources, told employees in a Friday memo obtained by Axios.

“The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others,” Gale added.

Other major companies, including Walmart, Ford, John Deere, and Toyota, have also taken similar measures in the past year after receiving criticism from conservatives, particularly outspoken filmmaker Robby Starbuck.

“BIG News: On Dec. 4th I notified Amazon that they’d be an upcoming focus for us in 2025 as part of our project to expose woke companies,” the conservative media personality wrote on X:

“Today they’re announcing a halt to some DEI policies and they’ve removed language about DEI goals and transgenderism from their site,” he wrote. “Amazon has NOT however listed what those changes are going to be and they have NOT communicated those changes to me,” he continued, before threatening to release a report to expose their “woke policies.”