On November 14th, 2022, I will be walking the sphere at Amazon.com Inc. headquarters in Seattle, Washington.
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Amazon We removed references to diversity and inclusion from our latest annual report.
The company filed its report in 2024 on Friday after fourth quarter revenue was announced. Previous annual reports included a section entitled “Human Capital” and a reference to “inclusion and diversity” in languages not listed in the latest submissions.
The previous report states, “When we strive to be the best employers of the planet, we focus on fostering and cultivating investment and innovation, inclusion and diversity, safety, and the best talent. I'm guessing it.”
This section reads “We strive to be the best employer of the planet,” and says the company relies on “a number of evolving initiatives to implement this objective.”
The change comes after Amazon recently suspended some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. Candi Casterberry, vice president of Amazon's Inclusive Experiences and Technology, told employees in a memo in December that the company is in the process of “removing outdated programs and materials” as part of a broad review of hundreds of initiatives. He said.
Amazon has also edited a public web page stating the policy position for trimming messages about DEI issues. Previously, there were separate sections dedicated to “Black Equality,” “Diversity, Equality and Inclusion,” and “LGBTQ+ Rights.” All of these sections were integrated into one paragraph, and the reference to the term transgender has been removed.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, companies since Silicon Valley have quickly moved away from DEI's policies. Google Discarding the language related to Dei's goals in the annual report; Meta Last month it announced it would retreat from an internal program designed to increase employment for a diverse candidate.
McDonald's, Walmartand target I've also finished or changed some programs, Disney, GM, ge and Pepsi NPR reported that it has removed the DEI mention in its annual submission.
Some companies are avoiding a backlash against DEI. Costco We rejected shareholder proposals reporting the risks of our DEI policy to stock prices. apple I resist similar proposals. CEO of Pinterest, jpmorgan chain and Goldman Sachs They show plans to stand up to their Day policy.
Amazon, the second-largest employer after Walmart, had over 1.5 million employees as of December 31st. In recent years, Amazon has pledged to double the number of black employees in the role of senior leadership and hire 30% of black people as a company. US Employees
The shift in approach to DEI is what CEO Andy Jassy calls the “one-in-a-lifetime opportunity” as the company pursues large-scale investments in artificial intelligence. In a revenue call on Thursday, Amazon said it plans to raise capital expenditures to $100 billion in 2025, focusing on AI. This is the largest CAPEX commitment among Megacap Tech companies.
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