Google has for years tried to differentiate its workforce, saying it will hire and promote more women and people from racial minorities.
On Wednesday, the company abandoned the objectives of the diversity of workers, saying that as a federal contractor he had to comply with President Trump’s executive orders, contrary to the policies of diversity, justice and integration.
In 2020, Google has announced the goal of increasing the number of people from underpinning groups in its leadership team by 30 % within five years.
“In the future we will no longer have ambitions,” said Fiona Cicconi, head of Google, to Q&A, who sent email to employees and is considered by the New York Times.
A Google spokesman said the company “was committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can achieve and have equal opportunities” and that it had reviewed its programs in the last year. The email was mentioned earlier than the Wall Street Journal.
Like other technological giants, Google responded to a DEI reaction reinforced by Mr Trump’s electoral victory. Meta, which holds Facebook and Instagram, has eliminated many of the diversity teams, while Amazon is considering the Dei programs.
On January 22, Mr Trump signed an executive order that instructed the federal contractors not to participate in the dei, which he described as “illegal discrimination”. Through the Cloud-Computing arm, Google provides technology services to the federal government.
Google also launched a DEI review that could lead to the cut of additional programs and initiatives, Ms Cicconi told the email.
The company will “carefully” evaluate programs, educational and initiatives “and will inform them as needed,” he said. The company will consider if some of them “increase the risk” or “is not as harmful as we hope”.
Google said last year that 5.7 % of its workforce was black, from 3.7 % in 2020 and 7.5 % of its employees were Spanish or Latino, compared to 5.9 % in 2020.
Following the assassination of George Floyd and the protests in 2020, Google was one of the many companies in the United States that promised to hire and promote more black and Latin workers. Part of Google’s approach to improve representation was to extend its offices to cities such as Atlanta and Washington.
On Wednesday, Mrs Cicconi said the company would continue to invest in places outside California and New York and that the company will also hire many countries worldwide. He added that the company would continue to have groups of workers’ resources that employees from similar background can convene.
“We are always committed to creating a workplace where we hire the best people wherever we are, we create an environment where everyone can thrive and face everyone right,” said Ms Cicconi. “That’s exactly what you can expect to see to move on.”
