Meta axes DEI programs just days after Mark Zuckerberg scrapped censorship policies

Meta is reportedly killing its DEI programs — just days after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the tech giant would no longer restrict speech on its popular social media platforms.The Facebook, Instagram and Threads parent said it will no longer take the controversial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies into consideration before hiring, training and picking suppliers, Axios reported Friday.According to a memo sent by Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources, the company said it was pivoting away from DEI because the “legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing.” A Meta spokesperson reached by The Post confirmed the memo, which was first obtained by Axios.Meta’s latest decision seemingly furthers Zuckerberg’s attempts to endear Meta to the incoming Trump administration.

The billionaire announced Tuesday that the tech giant would end its efforts to fact-check and police speech on Meta’s popular social media platforms.In the memo sent by Gale, she noted that DEI has “become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”Meta will instead institute programs “that focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background,” Gale wrote.The memo was posted to Workplace, the internal company messaging board that employees have used in recent days to protest Zuckerberg’s decision to scrap partnerships with third-party fact-checkers, as well as the naming of pro-Trump MMA entrepreneur Dana White to the board of directors.The new policy means that Meta will dismantle its team devoted to DEI.Maxine Williams, the firm’s chief diversity officer, will be reassigned to a new role within the company, according to Axios.Meta will no longer aim to attain “representation goals” since they “can create the impression that decisions are being made ...