Microsoft shuts down diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) team

Microsoft, a global name in technology, has closed down its diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) team.

According to Business Insider, which viewed correspondence sent out to thousands of employees, Microsoft no longer views DEI as “business critical.”

A team leader at the global computing company said the move was due to “changing business needs,” but internal colleagues and onlookers have disagreed with the company-wide decision.

Microsoft lays off DEI team

DEI is a sometimes controversial part of companies’ policies to promote healthy working spaces for employees. Since the tragic murder of George Floyd in 2020, Microsoft has pledged to do more to promote DEI and address racial injustice, saying:

“This is not a one-time event. It will require real work and focus. We will listen and learn. We will take feedback and we will adjust. But it starts with each of us making a commitment to do the work, to help drive change, and to act with intention.”

Business Insider saw the recent email, which was sent to thousands of employees, and stated, “True systems-change work associated with DEI programs everywhere is no longer business critical or smart as it was in 2020.”

This is quite a contrast amid the company’s ongoing commitments. For example, Microsoft stated that it would double the number of black leadership roles in the tech leader’s workforce by 2025.

In 2021, Microsoft published, Racial Equity Initiative: A year of progress on our commitments. The statement at that time, a year on from Floyd’s murder, said:

“We have been unwavering in our broader, ongoing focus to advance diversity and strengthen inclusion at Microsoft, we also understand that we have the opportunity to be more precise in where we accelerate progress, and these commitments are holding us accountable to that.”

So Microsoft’s footing has changed on DEI, but company spokesperson Jeff Jones said, “Our D&I commitments remain unchanged. Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering and we are holding firm on our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to focus on this work.”

There are no official commitments regarding what this work entails in the wake of the layoffs or how Microsoft will handle DEI’s future going forward.

“At Microsoft we know that we can only achieve our mission when everyone is included. We approach these efforts with a commitment to be candid about our progress and accountable to our ambitions.”

The move to close down the DEI team at Microsoft comes a month after the company’s ‘Radical Joy’ celebration of LGBTQ+ employees. So, it remains to be seen what inclusionary calendar events will look like a year from now, with no set team tasked to promote diversity, inclusion, and equality at Microsoft.

Image: Microsoft.

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