Despite pressure from a conservative group, Apple is going against the grain.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Meta announced a hard stop to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and will no longer maintain its DEI team, effective immediately. The company stated it intended to place its attention “on applying fair and consistent practices to mitigate bias for everyone, regardless of their background.”
“The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, said in a memo. “The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. … 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.”
Meta now joins companies including Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald’s in retracting their DEI efforts ahead of President-Elect Donald Trump’s return to office. However, Apple is separating itself from the pack. In its proxy statement on Jan. 10, Apple shared a list of proposals up for a vote at its yearly shareholder meeting on Feb. 25, including one request to cease its “Inclusion & Diversity program, policies, department and goals.”
According to CNN, The National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a conservative think tank, plans to share an anti-DEI proposal to Apple during the meeting. It claims DEI creates litigation risks and could prompt negative responses from customers and employees. The group further alleges that thousands of Apple employees could be “potential victims” of discrimination through DEI efforts and believes if effected parties decide to sue Apple, it would result in a loss of “tens of billions of dollars.”
“We are simply asking for a consideration. The proposal, if approved, would not automatically result in the abolishment of DEI,” Stefan Padfield, executive director of the NCPPR’s Free Enterprise Project, told CNN.
Nonetheless, Apple’s board of directors is advising its shareholders to vote against any proposal that would dismiss DEI efforts.
“At Apple, we believe that how we conduct ourselves is as critical to Apple’s success as making the best products in the world,” the company said in the proxy. “We seek to conduct business ethically, honestly, and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and our Business Conduct and Compliance policies are foundational to how we do business. And we strive to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work.”
The company continued, “The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program. The proposal also inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple’s ability to manage its own ordinary business operations, people and teams, and business strategies. Apple is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, or promoting on any basis protected by law. Apple seeks to operate in compliance with applicable non-discrimination laws, both in the United States and in the many other jurisdictions in which we operate, and in that regard monitors and evolves its practices, policies, and goals as appropriate to address compliance risks. The proposal inappropriately seeks to micromanage the Company’s programs and policies by suggesting a specific means of legal compliance.”
Padfield views Apple’s statement as “non-responsive” and believes “corporations that have been pushing DEI have lost the goodwill to simply say ‘trust us.’”
For proposal No. 6, regarding the removal of DEI efforts, it will require “the affirmative vote of the majority of the shares present or represented by proxy and voting at the Annual Meeting, and a majority of the shares required to constitute a quorum.”
