President Trump on Wednesday urged Apple to get rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) rules after the tech giant’s shareholders voted down a proposal to scrap its diversity commitments.
“APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “DEI WAS A HOAX THAT HAS BEEN VERY BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY. DEI IS GONE!!!”
About 97 percent of Apple’s shareholders voted against the “Request to Cease DEI Efforts” at its annual shareholder meeting Tuesday, bucking a national trend among major companies.
The iPhone maker recommended its shareholders vote down the proposal, arguing that it is “unnecessary” and “inappropriately attempts to restrict Apple’s ability to manage” its business.
The proposal was presented by the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, which argued that DEI “poses litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders.”
The corporate anti-DEI push mirrors similar efforts by the Trump administration. Trump has signed several executive orders seeking to eliminate DEI in the federal government, while also amping up pressure on private companies to do the same.
However, some of the president’s efforts have hit roadblocks in court. A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the administration from altering or ending contracts viewed as DEI-related.
Apple’s move Tuesday stands in contrast to some of its fellow tech giants, which have walked back their diversity commitments in recent months. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced last month that it was cutting its DEI team and related programs.
Google also revealed earlier this month that it was dropping its DEI hiring goals, and Amazon said in an internal memo in December that it was halting some of its DEI programs, according to CNBC.
