Google Abandons Diversity Hiring Targets, Citing Changes in Federal Court Decisions and Executive Orders

Google is shifting its approach to hiring employees from historically underrepresented backgrounds, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The company has announced that it will no longer set hiring targets to improve representation in its workforce.

A Shift in Tone

The first indication of this change was a tweak to Alphabet’s annual report, which removed a phrase that claimed the company was "committed to making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do and to growing a workforce that is representative of the users we serve." This phrase had been featured in previous years.

Google’s Response

When reached for comment, Google provided the following statement:

"We’re committed to creating a workplace where all our employees can succeed and have equal opportunities, and over the last year we’ve been reviewing our programs designed to help us get there. We’ve updated our 10-k language to reflect this, and as a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic."

Support for Underrepresented Employees

Despite abandoning diversity hiring targets, Google still plans to support resource groups for underrepresented employees and open offices in cities with diverse workforces, according to the report. However, it will no longer have "aspirational goals" moving forward.

A Change in Direction

This shift in approach stands in contrast to the Google of five years ago. In 2020, CEO Sundar Pichai committed to improving leadership representation of underrepresented groups by 30 percent by 2025, among other changes aimed at bettering racial equity at the company.

A Trend in the Industry

Making this kind of change isn’t unusual, however. Amazon is also winding down some of its DEI programs, according to CNBC, and Meta has completely eliminated its diversity hiring goals and the position of chief diversity officer at the company.

Concerns About the Current Supreme Court and Trump Administration

US companies are worried about the current Supreme Court and the Trump Administration’s opinion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Eliminating programs that might displease them is simpler than inviting what could be a losing legal battle.