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Shareholders at Apple rejected a proposal to end its diversity, equity, and inclusion program despite pressure from Republicans and President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday (Feb. 25), shareholders at Apple voted to reject a proposal to end the tech giant’s diversity, equity, and inclusion program. The proposal was presented by the conservative think tank known as The National Center for Public Policy Research. The group was hoping to coerce Apple to eliminate its DEI policies, using the agenda of President Donald Trump as an example to follow. The final tally was 8.84 billion votes to reject the proposal, with 210.45 million votes for it.
“We’ve never had quotas or targets for Apple. Our strength has always come from hiring the very best people and then providing a culture of collaboration, one where people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives come together to innovate,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a question and answer session at the meeting. He did acknowledge the pressures from Trump and other GOP supporters, adding that “as the legal landscape around these issues evolves, we may need to make some changes to comply, but our North Star of dignity and respect for everyone and our work to that end will never waver.” Apple disclosed in 2022 that three-fourths of its workforce were white and Asian, and two-thirds of the workforce were men. Its DEI policies are concentrated on initiatives that aid Black entrepreneurs and others of color, created in the wake of the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020.
The National Center for Public Policy Research also presented a similar proposal to Costco Wholesale last month, which the shopping giant also rejected strongly. Despite companies such as Meta and Google rolling back some of their DEI initiatives, it’s estimated that roughly half of the corporate leaders surveyed since Jan. 20 about eliminating those programs are not planning to follow suit.
President Trump wasn’t pleased with Apple’s decision, blasting them in a Truth Social post: “Apple should get rid of DEI rules, not just make adjustments to them. DEI was a hoax that has been very bad for our country. DEI is gone!!!” The National Center for Public Policy Research’s proposal to Apple cautioned that they could be subject to lawsuits by the Trump administration, but Cook signaled that Apple is forming legal protections.
Apple Shareholders Vote To Keep DEI Program, Trump Big Mad
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