Google Drops DEI Targets

Last week, Google became the biggest name to join the ranks of companies dropping their DEI targets, the?Wall Street Journal?reports.

The Changes:?

• No More DEI Targets:?In 2020, Google?announced?it would increase the number of underrepresented minorities in leadership to 30% by 2025.? It also promised to double the number of black workers over the same timeframe. Now, those goals are out.?
• Revised Annual Report:?The company also deleted a sentence from its previous annual report, which stated that the company was "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."??

ESG Remains:?While the hiring targets are out, Google appears to be continuing a number of related DEI programs, including employee affiliation groups and its supplier diversity program. And various other ESG initiatives—including its goal to achieve?net zero?emissions throughout its value chain by 2030—appear wholly unchanged. ?

Legal cover:?Google's move came just days before Attorney General Pam Bondi urged the Justice Department to launch?criminal investigations?into companies potentially engaging in illegal discrimination. Accordingly, Google's recent policy changes might not just deliver shareholder value, but prove to be a stay-out-of-jail-free card for Google's execs.