TECH

Google-Bezos-Musk-Zuckeberg: Google halts workplace diversity push

Google parent company Alphabet has stopped making diversity and inclusion a workplace priority, according to a filing Wednesday with US regulators.

The internet giant's annual 10-K report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), no longer contained a commitment to workplace inclusion and diversity that had been there the prior year.

"At Alphabet, we are committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve," the removed line read.

Internally, Alphabet workers were given word that the company no longer had hiring goals based on race or gender.

"We're committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year we've been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there," a Google spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

"As a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic."

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, issuing an executive order last month calling such programs illegal.

The filing by Alphabet came a day after Google updated its principles regarding artificial intelligence, removing vows not to use the technology for weapons or surveillance.

The changes arrive just weeks after Google chief executive Sundar Pichai and other tech titans attended Trump's inauguration.

Upon taking office, Trump quickly rescinded an executive order by his predecessor, former president Joe Biden, mandating safety practices for AI.

Companies in the race to lead the burgeoning AI field in the United States now have fewer obligations to adhere to, such as being required to share test results signaling the technology has serious risks to the nation, its economy or its citizens.

Google is eliminating its diversity hiring targets, joining other companies in scaling back DEI efforts...Google is following in the footsteps of Meta and Amazon by eliminating its goal of hiring from historically underrepresented groups while also reviewing its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The company has reportedly informed employees of the change, while parent firm Alphabet has removed a phrase about commitment to DEI from its annual report.

"In 2020, we set aspirational hiring goals and focused on growing our offices outside California and New York to improve representation," Fiona Cicconi, Alphabet's chief people officer, said in an email to staff (via Reuters). "...but in the future we will no longer have aspirational goals."

Another indication of the change came in Alphabet's annual report. The sentence stating that Alphabet is "committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve" was removed. It had appeared in reports from 2021 to 2024.

Google had been one of the loudest proponents of diversity hiring in the tech industry. CEO Sundar Pichai said in 2020 that the company aimed to have 30% of its leaders from underrepresented groups by 2025. At the time, around 96% of Google's US leaders were white or Asian, and 73% globally were men.

Google is also evaluating whether to continue releasing its diversity report that it has published since 2014. The Wall Street Journal reports that the move is part of a wider review of DEI-related grants, training, and initiatives, including those that "raise risk, or that aren't as impactful as we'd hope," read the email.

Google's 2024 diversity report said 5.7% of its US employees were Black and 7.5% were Latino. That represents increases of 2% and 1.6%, respectively, compared to four years earlier.

Google added that it is reviewing court decisions and executive orders by Donald Trump aimed at curbing DEI in the government and among federal contractors, as Google falls into the latter category.

Google will continue to support internal employee groups such as Trans at Google, Black Googler Network and the Disability Alliance, which the company has said inform decisions around products and policies. The report said it will also continue to open offices in cities with diverse workforces.

Last month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company was ending its DEI programs, including those focused on hiring, training and picking suppliers from underrepresented communities. Amazon, meanwhile, has said it is winding down outdated programs and materials related to representation and inclusion.

Several tech companies have been quick to toe the line with the Trump administration's stance toward DEI programs. The threat of legal consequences for not doing so is probably expediting the policy changes.

In other Google news this week, the company removed a key passage from its AI principles that previously committed to avoiding the use of AI in potentially harmful applications, including weapons.

mundophone