Google Cuts Diversity Hiring Targets Amid Trump’s DEI Crackdown

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Google Cuts Diversity Hiring Targets Amid Trump’s DEI Crackdown \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Google is scaling back its diversity hiring targets as part of a broader trend among U.S. corporations abandoning or reducing their DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs. The decision follows an executive order from President Trump targeting DEI initiatives among federal contractors. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, also removed prior DEI commitments from its annual report, signaling a major shift.

Google’s Diversity Hiring Rollback: Quick Looks

DEI Targets Scrapped: Google is abandoning some of its diversity hiring goals, joining other major U.S. companies scaling back DEI initiatives.
Executive Order Influence: The move follows Trump’s executive order, which pressures federal contractors to eliminate “illegal” DEI programs or face financial penalties.
Alphabet’s 10-K Report Shift: Google’s parent company removed DEI commitments from its annual SEC filing, signaling a major policy shift.
Tech Industry Retreat: Meta, Amazon, Apple, and other tech giants have scaled back DEI efforts, citing political and legal risks.
Broader Corporate Trend: Non-tech companies, including Disney, McDonald’s, Ford, Walmart, Target, and John Deere, have also reduced DEI programs.
Legal & Financial Risks: Trump’s order targets federal contractors, with potential triple financial penalties under the 1863 False Claims Act for violating DEI restrictions.
Google’s Past DEI Goals: After George Floyd’s death in 2020, Google set a 30% diversity increase goal for leadership—progress has been slow.
Workforce Composition: Google remains majority male and overwhelmingly white and Asian—Black employees (5.7%) and Latino employees (7.5%) make up a small share of the workforce.
Future Uncertainty: Companies are reassessing how to balance diversity efforts while complying with new federal regulations under Trump’s administration.

Deep Look

Google has announced significant changes to its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, becoming the latest major U.S. company to roll back hiring goals aimed at increasing workforce diversity. The decision follows a new executive order from President Donald Trump, which threatens financial penalties and legal action against government contractors with DEI initiatives deemed discriminatory.

The change was outlined in an internal email sent to Google employees on Wednesday and later confirmed in a statement to the Associated Press. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, also removed DEI-related commitments from its latest 10-K report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)—a move that signals a major strategic shift within one of the world’s largest tech companies.

Trump’s Executive Order Pressures Federal Contractors

Google’s decision comes in response to growing legal and financial risks associated with corporate DEI programs under the Trump administration. As a federal contractor, Google sells cloud computing and other technology services to the U.S. government, making it subject to new restrictions on diversity initiatives.

Trump’s executive order seeks to:

Eliminate DEI programs in federal agencies and combat “illegal” private-sector diversity initiatives.
Enforce financial penalties against government contractors that violate DEI restrictions.
Use the False Claims Act of 1863 to impose massive damages on companies found to be misrepresenting compliance with federal diversity policies.
Direct federal agencies to investigate corporations with DEI programs that allegedly engage in “illegal discrimination or preference.”

The order creates uncertainty for businesses, as companies are left guessing which diversity policies may be deemed illegal under the administration’s broad directive to eliminate race- or gender-based hiring preferences.

Google’s DEI Shift Reflected in SEC Filings

In previous years, Alphabet’s annual 10-K report affirmed the company’s commitment to “making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do.” However, in this year’s filing, that language was removed, signaling a formal retreat from previous DEI goals.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the change, stating:

“We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities. Over the last year, we’ve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there. As a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic.”

Tech Industry Moves Away from DEI Initiatives

Google is not alone in its retreat from DEI policies. Several major tech companies have scaled back or scrapped diversity programs in recent months, including:

Meta (Facebook’s parent company) eliminated its DEI program weeks before Trump’s inauguration.
Amazon quietly rolled back parts of its DEI initiatives in December following Trump’s election victory.
Apple, Tesla, and Microsoft have made fewer public commitments to DEI efforts as corporate pressure mounts.

Corporate America Shifts Away from DEI

The shift extends beyond the tech sector. High-profile U.S. companies such as:

Walt Disney Co.
McDonald’s
Ford
Walmart
Target
Lowe’s
John Deere

have scaled back DEI commitments, citing political pressure, legal risks, and changing corporate priorities.

Google’s Diversity Progress Since 2020

Google significantly increased its focus on hiring underrepresented groups following the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, which triggered widespread corporate pledges to support racial equity.

In 2020, CEO Sundar Pichai announced an ambitious goal to increase Black, Latino, and female representation in leadership by 30% by 2025.

Since then, progress has been incremental:

Black leadership representation increased from 2.6% in 2020 to 5.1% in 2024.
Hispanic leadership representation increased from 3.7% to 4.3%.
Women in leadership rose from 26.7% to 32.8%.

However, Google’s overall workforce remains heavily male and white/Asian:

Black employees make up only 5.7% of the total workforce.
Latino employees represent 7.5% of the workforce.
Two-thirds of employees worldwide are men.

What’s Next for Google and DEI Policies?

While Google has not completely abandoned DEI efforts, the company is shifting its language and strategy to avoid potential legal and financial risks under Trump’s policies.

Hiring goals and internal diversity programs may be quietly adjusted to align with federal regulations.
Public messaging on DEI will likely be toned down to avoid scrutiny from federal investigators.
Tech companies may take a wait-and-see approach, responding cautiously to legal challenges and executive orders.

The broader implications of this shift remain uncertain. As DEI initiatives face growing legal challenges, corporations must decide how to balance diversity efforts with compliance under the Trump administration.

With corporate America increasingly backing away from DEI, the future of workplace diversity policies remains unclear.