DEI programs weathered a myriad of attacks this year, with more to come in 2025

One by one, diversity, equity and inclusion programs at some of the country’s biggest companies fell apart in 2024, with signs that efforts to reverse DEI initiatives will only ramp up in 2025.

This year saw the rise in prominent figures like Elon Musk and Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, among others, who vocally pushed against DEI initiatives. Major companies, including Walmart, Lowe’s, Ford and Toyota, heeded the calls and dialed back their DEI programs, particularly after social media-driven campaigns by influencers like Robby Starbuck.

Meanwhile Utah, Alabama and Iowa joined Florida and Texas by banning DEI offices in their public universities, and three more states — Idaho, Kansas and Indiana — barred colleges from requiring diversity statements in hiring and admissions.

A survey by College Rover, a website that allows users to manage the intricacies of applying to college, said that 54% of student respondents support DEI and push for mandatory DEI courses and that 70% describe the overall impact of DEI as positive on college campuses.

“You can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” said Bill Townsend, CEO and founder of College Rover. “Is DEI flawed? Yes, but it’s still working. But there are many good parts that are being thrown out with the bad, and the students see that.”

“Working” for Townsend includes the socialization and exposure to varying opinions and experiences that come with a diverse student body. In fact, he said, 55% of Republican students surveyed said they viewed DEI as positive.

“And the big positive about DEI is that it exposes people to ethnic groups and viewpoints about ethnicities that are different from how they were raised at home,” he said. “We have to work and live among people who are different from us. DEI helps us manage that dynamic. Getting rid of DEI reinforces the fact that you don’t have to get along with everybody. It shouldn’t be that way.”

In addition, according to Boston Consulting Group, research of more than 27,000 employees in 16 countries shows that DEI programs increase profits and inspire employee commitment. White said, “Many leaders are doubling down on their commitments to DEI, not just because it’s the right thing to do but because they understand that inclusivity drives innovation, employee satisfaction and organizational performance.”

In 2024, DEI detractor Robby Starbuck led a push for companies, including mammoth Walmart, to disband their DEI programs through fiery social media posts.

Starbuck, who did not respond to a request for comment about his plans for 2025, has said “I do have a list of targets” he will pressure to drop DEI.

White and Gilliam, the DEI experts, acknowledged Starbuck’s influence. As a result, some companies that want to keep DEI but are fearful of the backlash have rebranded diversity, equity and inclusion as “inclusion and belonging” and other phrases.

“DEI, the letters and what they mean, are a problem for people,” Townsend said, adding that “diversity and inclusivity” may be less confrontational.

Proponents of DEI said they do not care what it is called. They just want it protected.

“I’m pessimistic about the future of DEI because I see things as they are happening,” Gilliam said. “But I do think there’s hope, but the hope has to come from people on an individual basis. People need to stand up and make a decision to impact what’s actually taking place. ‘You won’t stand up and support me, I won’t support you by spending my dollars with your company. And I’m going to tell everyone else not to as well.’ We have to put a stake in the ground and take a stand that’s just as aggressive as theirs. It’s that important.”

All that came after countless companies pledged sweeping support for diversity efforts after George Floyd’s murder by police in Minneapolis in 2020 initiated a national social justice movement.

But with President-elect Donald Trump and his administration vowing to wipe out federally funded diversity programs, the future of DEI is precarious.

Nika White, whose company specializes in DEI, said the field has had a challenging year.

“The rhetoric around banning DEI programs in corporate and academic settings, especially in the context of the broader political climate, often ignores the reality that such programs are designed not to ‘lower standards’ but to raise them by ensuring that everyone — regardless of background — has an equal opportunity to contribute and succeed,” she said.

Opponents of DEI see those initiatives in a drastically different way. Musk said on his social media platform, X, “DEI is just another word for racism.” As a senator, Vice President-elect JD Vance co-introduced the Dismantle DEI Act in June, saying DEI “is a destructive ideology that breeds hatred and racial division.” Trump signed an executive order barring federal DEI programs near the end of his first term in 2020, which Joe Biden revoked shortly after he took office. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

In the heat of the presidential election this summer, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris was called a “DEI hire” in one of the more extreme strikes at the policies. A politician baselessly blamed the Baltimore bridge collapse on DEI in March, and others claimed DEI makes air travel unsafe.

“These attacks are often rooted in anti-Black racism,” White said. “Billionaire business owners wielding influence to curtail DEI initiatives often do so under the guise of ‘colorblindness’ or ‘meritocracy,’ arguing that DEI programs prioritize identity over skill. They undermine the progress made over the past few decades, creating a chilling effect that could further polarize our society, limiting the ability of organizations to have open, honest conversations about race, equity and inclusion — conversations that are critical in moving us forward as a nation.”

She added that demonizing DEI “fails to recognize the systemic barriers that many marginalized groups face in accessing opportunities and thriving in environments where they are not valued or represented.”

Not quite a death knell

If 2025 will be the year DEI dies, as some hope, it seems it will take a herculean effort. Trump has threatened to rescind federal funding and accreditation of universities and colleges that do not comply, which would face legal challenges.

On the business side, plenty of companies have continued diversity and inclusion initiatives, even if quietly. CEOs like JPMorgan Chase Bank’s Jamie Dimon called himself a “full-throated, red-blooded, patriotic, ‘unwoke,’ capitalist CEO” whose commitment to DEI has not wavered. Mark Cuban, the “Shark Tank” host and former owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, said having a diverse workforce is “good for business.”

Fatimah Gilliam, who heads the DEI consulting firm The Azara Group and is the author of “Race Rules: What Your Black Friends Won’t Tell You,” wants to hear more voices like those in the new year to stave off the threats. She said the capitulation of companies and universities and the silence from business leaders have been “disheartening,” or what she calls “profiles in no courage.”

Gilliam added that the longer negative rhetoric about DEI goes unchallenged, “people sort of justify this new normal; they’re not just going along with it, but then they start to defend it.”