Summary
Walmart has rolled back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, ending DEI training, racial equity programs, and diversity metrics in hiring and supplier decisions.
Employees call the move a betrayal, citing the lack of communication and its impact on marginalized groups.
The rollback has drawn praise from conservatives but criticism from racial equity advocates, including Walmart’s largest workers’ group, United for Respect, which plans to reintroduce a racial equity audit proposal in 2025.
Critics argue the changes mark a major regression for racial and workplace equity at the nation’s largest private employer.
Benefit him? This change benefits them. Walmart has 1.6M domestic employees. Any HR-mandated training like DEI requires substantial unproductive payroll hours to be spent in every corporate location.
Walmart could give two shits about DEI. They just care about saving overhead and maximizing profits.
Source: Corporate shill for 25 years
The training saves money in future lawsuits though
But not the current profits. Same idea as oil companies burying that they would utterly destroy the climate, but it was “far enough in the future” that the potential money to be gained was better short term.