Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted at a possible change in the company’s stance regarding diversity and inclusion, following a series of anti-DEI directives from US President Donald Trump.
The company’s shareholders rejected a proposal last month that would have meant the end of policies like inclusive hiring practices.
Cook acknowledged that Cook’s tech giant will have to adjust its diversity policies in light of the changing legal framework.
He said: “As this issue’s legal landscape evolves, it is possible that we will need to change our approach to ensure compliance, but our commitment to dignity and respecting everyone, and to our work in that direction, will not waver.”
Trump has signed executive orders that indicate a retreat from DEI programs, including placing US government staff who work on DEI on leave.
In anticipation of government mandates and soon after his election win in November, many major employers, including Amazon, began to roll back their DEI policy.
The orders were challenged in court – a federal district judge issued last week an injunction to prevent the Trump administration enforcing its anti-DEI order.
Many employers are still cautious about DEI because of the potential legal risks. They have removed some programmes, or rebranded them.
Shareholders at Costco voted in a similar way against the scrapping of DEI policies.
Cook said that Apple does not have quotas when it comes to hiring, and that its culture is successful because “people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives work together”.
He added, “We will continue to work together in order to create a sense of belonging that allows everyone to do their best work.”
The National Center for Public Policy Research (a conservative US think tank) is behind many of the anti-DEI actions at the shareholder level.
This week, Its Free Enterprise Project – a group shareholder activists – presented a proposal to “Cease DEI efforts” at Apple’s and John Deere’s annual shareholder meetings.
The FEP stated: “It is clear that DEI presents litigation, reputational, and financial risks for companies and, therefore, financial risks for their shareholders. Further, companies are at risk of being sued, if they do not adhere to their fiduciary duty.
Apple has 80,000 employees and over 50,000 of them are likely to be victims of this discrimination. Apple’s costs could be tens or even hundreds of billions of dollar if only a small fraction of its employees sue, and only a few of them are successful.
The FEP describes themselves as “the original and premier opponents of the woke-uptakeover of American corporate Life”.
A poll conducted earlier this week revealed that the majority of Britons believed it would “bad” for UK employers to follow in the footsteps of US employers and reduce DEI. However, a fifth thought it was a positive thing.
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