"Google, Meta, other tech giants slash DEI-related jobs, resource groups in 2023: report", 27 December 2023

Tech giants, like Google and Meta, have slashed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in 2023 despite their commitments following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and riots.

According to data provided by job site Indeed, cited by CNBC, DEI-related job postings in 2023 have declined 44%.

In November 2023, the last full month for which data was available, DEI job postings dropped 23% year over year.

Layoffs at Google and Meta also included employees who held leadership roles in Black employee resource groups (ERGs), CNBC said.

Devika Brij, CEO of Brij the Gap Consulting, which works with tech companies’ DEI efforts, told CNBC that some companies have cut nearly 90% of their DEI budget by midyear 2023.

"When George Floyd began to become the topic of conversations, companies and executives doubled down on their commitments and here we are only a couple years later, and folks are looking for opportunities to cut those teams," Brij said.

The layoffs come just three years following the boom in DEI initiatives that came during the Black Lives Matter protests and riots.

At this time, tech companies made a commitment to the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

In a June 2020 letter to Google employees, CEO Sundar Pichai vocally committed to improving support for Black workers.

In a similar June 2020 letter to Meta employees, COO Sheryl Sandberg committed to having 30% more people of color, including 30% more Black people in leadership by 2025.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Meta spokesperson said that the tech giant remains committed to their DEI initiatives.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, an Amazon spokesperson echoed Meta's sentiments and said that their "DEI priorities have not changed."

In a statement, Google said that their "workforce reductions" were to "sharpen" their focus.