Apple’s new board of directors suggested that investors reject a shareholder request to discontinue the business’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, the company said in a proxy statement.
It was suggested by the conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy that the business think about doing away with its “Inclusion & Diversity program, policies, department, and goals.”
The suggestion argued that DEI presents “litigation, reputational, and financial risks to companies” and could increase Apple’s susceptibility to lawsuits, citing recent Supreme Court rulings.
Apple retorted that there was no need for the suggestion because it already had an established compliance program.
The shareholder proposal, it further stated, was an improper attempt to micromanage Apple’s corporate strategy.
The iPhone manufacturer stated in the filing that it is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring, training, promotion, or recruitment on any legally protected basis.
Laptops 1000After Republican Donald Trump’s reelection to the U.S. presidency, several large corporations, including Amazon and Meta, are ending their diversity programs as conservative resistance to such measures intensifies.
Encouraged by a 2023 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that invalidated affirmative action in college admissions, conservative organizations have criticized DEI programs and vowed to sue businesses over them.
The modifications demonstrate how some of the largest companies in America have responded to a broader conservative backlash against diversity measures that intensified following the 2020 police shootings of George Floyd and other Black Americans, which sparked worldwide protests.
