Tech companies slash DEI jobs despite AI representation concerns

In 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, many tech conglomerates vocally committed to improving diversity and representation throughout their companies. But in 2023, where jobs for diversity and inclusion hit an all-time high, many of those companies are backing off their vow of change.

According to the Washington Post, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) jobs have shrunk 8 percent so far in 2024 with some of the most recent cuts coming from Zoom. The video conference giant laid off its internal DEI team, however they were not the only ones to do so. Google, Meta and X were some of the few companies who made massive cuts to its DEI’s budgets.

According to an article written by CNBC, some companies cut DEI budgets by as much as 90% in 2023. So what is the purpose of these mass layoffs?

Many signs point to large changes within the tech industry, as well as the emergence of AI. When Elon Musk took over Twitter, some of his first actions were to lay off a large portion of the staff. The DEI team was one of the largest position groups hit percentage wise, as the staff was reduced from 30 to 2 members.

This trend of dissolving DEI programs is also due to the occasional economic downturn in tech that forces companies to make layoffs.

Many however are more concerned that without proper representation, Artificial intelligence will not properly represent all people. In an interview with NBC, Brenda Wilkerson, CEO of AnitaB.org, an organization aimed at uplifting and empowering women and non-binary individuals through tech.

“We’re in a big technology inflection point, and what happens is as AI begins to take off and if organizations are less inclusive, the product is not reflective of the users.”

While the future of AI is unclear, it is even gloomier for DEI.

For Annenberg Media, I’m Delaney Polocheck.