Google ends diversity hiring goals as it reviews DEI programs

• Google has ended hiring targets tied to representation, BI confirmed.
• The company also said it is evaluating its DEI programs.
• Target, Meta, and other major US companies have also reduced DEI-related policies and programs.

Google will no longer pursue hiring goals tied to representation, Business Insider confirmed. The change makes the tech giant the latest US company to pull back on DEI-related policies.

The company is also evaluating its DEI programs and initiatives.

"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," a Google spokesperson told Business Insider.

The spokesperson said the company had updated language in its annual 10-K report to reflect the change.

"As a federal contractor, our teams are also evaluating changes required following recent court decisions and executive orders on this topic," the spokesperson added. The Wall Street Journal first reported the change to Google's hiring targets.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump swiftly signed an executive order terminating DEI "mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities" in the federal government. Trump also criticized DEI programs and diversity-related hiring goals at private companies on the campaign trail and since taking office.

Google set a goal in 2020 to increase leadership representation of Black+, Latinx+, and Native American+ employees by 30%. It reached that goal in 2022, according to the company's annual diversity report.

Google's decision to shift its hiring goals reflects a growing number of companies pulling back on DEI initiatives, beginning before Trump was reelected. Some of the companies that scaled back diversity efforts before his inauguration include Walmart, Ford, John Deere, Tractor Supply Company, and Lowe's.

Meta also announced last month it will no longer have a team focused on DEI and Target recently said it will end multiple programs related to DEI.

Some companies have defended their DEI programs and policies in recent weeks, including Costco and JPMorgan.

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