Apple Board Advises Against Plan To End Diversity Programmes

Apple’s board of directors has recommended investors vote against a proposal by shareholders to scrap the iPhone maker’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes, as other large firms move to roll back such schemes.

The proposal was submitted by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, which said Apple should consider ending its “Inclusion & Diversity programme, policies, department and goals”.

Citing Supreme Court decisions, the think tank argued diversity programmes pose “litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies”.

Apple’s board said the move was not needed as the company has appropriate checks and balances in place.

‘Unnecessary’

“The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance programme,” Apple said in a proxy filing.

The board also said the proposal “inappropriately seeks to micromanage the Company’s programmes and policies by suggesting a specific means of legal compliance”.

“Apple is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, or promoting on any basis protected by law,” Apple’s board said in the filing.

The proposal is to be submitted to a vote by shareholders at Apple’s annual general meeting on 25 February.

Large tech companies including Amazon and Meta have recently scrapped their diversity initiatives as conservative pressure against such programmes intensifies ahead of the return to office of president-elect Donald Trump.

McDonald’s and Walmart have also recently ended diversity programmes.

Political pressure

Conservative groups have threatened to sue companies over diversity programmes, citing a Supreme Court decision in 2023 that struck down affirmative action in university admissions decisions.

Companies began placing more emphasis on diversity programmes following civil unrest in 2020 after the police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans.

Meta also loosened its moderation policies, ended fact-checking in the US, appointed a personal friend of Trump to its board and named a Republican as its policy head in other moves designed to bring itself into favour with Trump.