Connect with us

Tech

Meta abandons racial diversity programmes as Zuckerberg woos Trump

Published

3 months ago

on

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta, takes part in a conference in Denver, Colorado, in July 2024. Photo: AP
Spread the love

The changes come soon after the platform dropped fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in the US, and mark a further right-wing shift

Social media giant Meta announced Friday it is dismantling its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes across the company, marking another major shift in strategy as it aligns with politically conservative priorities.

In an internal memo to employees, the company outlined sweeping changes including the elimination of its diverse slate hiring approach and the disbanding of its DEI team.

The move comes amid what Meta describes as “a changing legal and policy landscape” following recent Supreme Court decisions against programmes that allowed for increased diversity priorities at US universities.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

The memo, first reported by Axios, landed days after Meta abruptly overhauled its content moderation policies, including ending its US fact-checking programme on Facebook and Instagram, in a major shift that conforms with the priorities of incoming US president Donald Trump.

That announcement echoed long-standing complaints made by Trump’s Republican Party and X owner Elon Musk about fact-checking and moderating hate speech on social media.

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has been moving aggressively to reconcile with Trump since his election in November, including donating US$1 million to his inauguration fund and hiring a Republican as his public affairs chief.

On Friday he sat down for an interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan in which he bitterly criticised the Biden administration for asking that content be censored on Meta platforms during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump has been a harsh critic of Meta and Zuckerberg for years, accusing the company of bias against him and threatening to retaliate against the tech billionaire once back in office.

Republicans are also fiercely against DEI programmes in corporate America, many of which were established in the aftermath of the Black Lives Matter movement and the nation’s attempt to reckon with long-standing racial disparities.

In the immediate aftermath of Trump’s election victory in November, Walmart and a string of prestige brands – from Ford, John Deere and Lowe’s to Harley-Davidson and Jack Daniel’s – also scaled back programmes aimed at bolstering minority groups.

In its memo, Meta said its Chief Diversity Officer Maxine Williams will transition to a new role focused on accessibility and engagement, as the company phases out its dedicated DEI initiatives.

The parent company of Facebook and Instagram will also terminate its supplier diversity programme, which previously prioritised sourcing from diverse-owned businesses. Instead, Meta says it will focus on supporting small and medium-sized businesses more broadly.

“We serve everyone,” the memo stated, emphasising that the company will continue to source candidates from different backgrounds while eliminating specific representation goals for women and people from ethnic minorities that were previously in place.

More Articles from SCMP

Stub out costly Hong Kong trade in illicit cigarettes

Education University of Hong Kong puts non-local students on notice over visas

At US Supreme Court, TikTok’s pleas to honour free speech are met with scepticism

2034 Fifa World Cup still Hong Kong’s goal, Kai Tak can boost interest: Eric Fok Q&A

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tech

US: ‘It’s time for the virus mind to die’ – Elon Musk slams transgender Americans

Published

3 days ago

on

April 21, 2025

By

Elon musk
Spread the love

United States of America tech billionaire, Elon Musk has taken a swipe at transgender people, saying, ‘It is time for the virus mind to die.”

Elon Musk, who is the lead at the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump’s administration, made this known in a terse statement replying to a Behavioural Risk Surveillance Survey by the Centre for Disease Control on the rising percentage of US adults identifying as transgender.

According to the survey data released on X Sunday by a popular American author, John LeFerre, US adults identifying as transgender surged by year of birth.

The data means that adults identifying as transgender have been on a steady spike, especially those with birth dates from 1990 to 2005.

Reacting, Musk described the trend as a “woke mind virus in action.”

“Now, it is time for the mind virus to die,” he wrote on his X account.

His comments come after Trump’s administration showed a tough stance against transgender people since his second term inauguration in January 2025.

Recall that Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 banning biological men from women’s sports.

In a related development, on Wednesday last week, the United Kingdom Supreme Court ruled that the definition of a woman under the country’s equality law refers to biological sex.

Ekwutosblog reports that the ruling had sparked transgender protests in parts of the UK.

Continue Reading

Tech

Gov Soludo is a greater supporter of Innoson group but our Office in Anambra was demolished without pre-notification from government— Innoson Group

Published

6 days ago

on

April 18, 2025

By

Spread the love

‎
‎
‎Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM) has expressed displeasure over the partial demolition of its Head Office, situated on the Owerri-Nnewi road.
‎
‎Mr Cornel Osigwe, Head of Corporate Communications at Innoson Group, who confirmed the demolition to newsmen, said that there was no pre notification ahead of the demolition which took place on Wednesday.
‎
‎He claimed that the office perimeter fence, some offices, stair case and the company’s showroom were affected by the partial demolition.
‎
‎According to him, there was no pre notification ahead of the demolition; it came to us as a surprise.
‎
‎“We did not know that the building itself was marked for demolition and if it was marked, they should have given us time to relocate.
‎
‎“The staff were working and they just saw the demolition vehicle demolishing the building while work was going on.
‎
‎“Some of our staff were trapped in the building, it took the efforts of our other staff to rescue those that were trapped while over 20 vehicles were also trapped.
‎
‎“A day before the demolition, there was an announcement that there was going to be a demolition and they were going to give one week for the houses that were marked for demolition to relocate.
‎
‎“The company was not aware that the company was marked for demolition, and even if it was aware.
‎
‎“There have been a public announcement that all the marked buildings have one week to relocate, but all those things were not considered
‎
‎“There were other buildings that were close to the head office and marked for demolition were not demolished but they came straight to our building and demolished it, making us to wonder if there was another ulterior motive to it,” he said.
‎
‎“Gov. Charles Soludo of Anambra has been a great supporter of Innoson Vehicle and Innoson has been a great supporter of the state government.


‎
‎“But the way and manner that everything happened makes us to wonder if the state government is aware that those handling the demolition have personal vendetta against the company,” he added.
‎
‎

Continue Reading

Tech

They only know how to drain data’ – Telecom consumers lament tariff hike, poor network

Published

1 week ago

on

April 14, 2025

By

Spread the love

Some telecommunication services consumers in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT have urged Mobile Network Operators to improve their services to match the recent hike in their tariffs.

They made the call in separate interviews with NAN on Monday in Abuja.

The subscribers said despite the increase in subscription rates mobile networks could remain epileptic for hours.

In a publication dated February 6, 2024, the Executive Vice-chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Dr Aminu Maida, said that the commission would hold service providers accountable for poor service delivery.

Mr Ogah Paul, one of the subscribers said he had enough data on his network but could not access the internet because of the epileptic network.

He urged service providers to fix the problems surrounding the poor services.

“The only thing they know is to drain data without any good service delivery. I feel like crying because of a problematic network. I have been receiving server errors since morning.

“To even download and watch a video sent to me since, takes me almost one whole day. “I wonder if members of staff of the service providers are enjoying the service they render to us.

“We cannot make calls, access the internet or even receive calls,’’ he said.

According to him, unfortunately, the network providers put up some of the best adverts about their products and services which they cannot meet.

Mr Victor James, another subscriber said he had enough data but was not able to use it to his satisfaction.

“Why does their data plan not reflect immediately when you buy data? Sometimes it takes as much as 24 hours to reflect.

“I am tired of this. The network is really bad. I have enough data but I cannot use it the way I want.

“I hope the issues get resolved as soon as possible so that I can access my data without further delay,” he said.

However, Ms Josephine Tanko, told NAN that she had no problems with her network providers.

“It is fast and reliable. I think it is the network that gives the best internet speed and quality.

“It will always be my best that is why I will always choose it over any other network,” she said.

She called on networks that did not meet their subscriber’s expectations to ensure that they improved their services.

Continue Reading

Trending