Tech companies like Google and Meta made cuts to DEI programs in 2023 after big promises in prior years

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Tech companies like Google and Meta made cuts to DEI programs in 2023 after big promises in prior years

After vocal commitments following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, DEI programs in the tech industry are in broad retreat.
Some companies have laid off DEI staffers and leaders of diverse employee resource groups, downsized learning and development programs, and cut budgets for external DEI groups by as much as 90% in 2023, sources told CNBC.
The cuts come as the tech industry doubles down on artificial intelligence. With fewer diverse voices represented in AI development, the resulting products could be less accurate or more harmful to users.

Shortly after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in 2020, Google was among many tech companies that set up new programs aimed at supporting Black employees. The goal, CEO Sundar Pichai wrote, was "to build sustainable equity for Google's Black+ community, and externally, to make our products and programs helpful in the moments that matter most to Black users."

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