A leaked memo from insiders outlining Microsoft’s changes for the upcoming fiscal year revealed that the corporation had secretly terminated a diversity, equality, and inclusion unit.
It is unclear how many employees Microsoft let go due to “changing business demands”. The change took effect on July 1, 2024.
According to a Commercial Insider email, “true systems-change work connected with DEI initiatives worldwide is no longer as vital or clever as it was in 2020.”
“D&I commitments are unaffected.”
In response, Microsoft spokesperson Jeff Jones told the source that the corporation is still very committed to DEI, but he did not say whether or not the allegation was true.
“We remain committed to this work, upholding our standards, and placing a high priority on responsibility. Our dedication to diversity and inclusion is steadfast.”
Microsoft’s “D&I obligations remain intact,” he continued.
Since Microsoft is nearing the end of its fiscal year, the layoffs coincided with normal business operations. The corporation laid off almost 10,000 workers in 2023, with executives blaming inflation and unstable economic conditions for the layoffs.
Just a few months before the DEI layoffs, Microsoft faced accusations of encouraging racial and sexual discrimination in its annual “Diversity and Inclusion Report”.
Microsoft proudly stated in the paper from February 2024 that the salaries of its Asian, Hispanic, and black employees were higher than those of their white counterparts. Additionally, it mentioned that female workers made more money than their male counterparts, who had equivalent positions and levels of responsibility.
Following George Floyd’s death, Microsoft ramped up its DEI program investments, as the Daily Wire reported. The company pledged to spend $150 million on DEI initiatives and double “the number of Black and African American people managers, senior individual contributors, and senior leaders in the United States by 2025.”
Nevertheless, with businesses like Zoom dissolving DEI sections, trends are shifting in the opposite direction. Zoom, a rival to Microsoft’s Skype app, said in February 2024 that it had sacked its DEI staff and intended to concentrate on working with outside consultants rather than an internal team.
With an emphasis on “inclusion,” the consultants would seek to include “all of our staff,” CEO Aparna Bawa said to Bloomberg at the time.
In addition, Zoom began its DEI initiatives following George Floyd’s passing.
Nobody divulged the identity of the Microsoft confidential email leaker.
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