President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the federal level resulted in corporations being creative, not eliminating their efforts but rebranding them, CNBC reports.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai addressed backlash for scrapping its DEI hiring aspirations in February 2025, recognizing the need for diverse hires and adhering to laws. “We believe in building a representative workforce. We’re a global company, we have users around the world, and we think the best way to serve them well is by having a workforce that represents that diversity, and we’ll continue to do that,” Pichai said.
“At the same time, as a company, we will always have to comply with local laws.”
Google’s approach is only a small portion of changes made to DEI initiatives to comply with Trump’s anti-DEI structure. The company’s former chief diversity officer, Melonie Parker, holds the new title of Vice President of Googler Engagement. In late March 2025, financial institution JPMorgan Chase announced plans to change its diversity, equity, and inclusion program to “DOI” or “diversity, opportunity and inclusion.” “The ‘e’ always meant equal opportunity to us, not equal outcomes, and we believe this more accurately reflects our ongoing approach to reach the most customers and clients to grow our business, create an inclusive workplace for our employees and increase access to opportunities,” JP’s Chief Operating Officer Jenn Piepszak said.
Once viewed as a way to promote fairness in the workplace and advance the careers of women and people of color, the term DEI has become heavier, given the Supreme Court’s controversial 2023 decision to overturn affirmative action.
But then, when Trump blamed DEI practices on the reason behind a tragic American Airlines crash in January 2025, the CEO of diversity consulting firm Paradigm, Joelle Emerson, says it’s no wonder companies — large and small — are drawing back. “When you have the president blaming DEI for a plane crash, I think it makes sense that companies don’t want to be out there no matter how they define it internally,” Emerson said.
Workplace culture experts encourage companies to implement practices similar to those of JPMorgan and Google by “quietly trying to readjust the wording on things.” “This might be the time to keep it a little quieter,” co-founder of the workplace culture consultancy Double Dragon Coaching Zach Handler said, according to Inc.
President and Founder Jennifer Risi of PR firm Sway Effect identifies another option as companies look to keep their heads down and continue to do the work, regardless of what they want to call it. “The data continues to prove that investing in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization is good for business, recruitment, and growth,” Risi said.
“If companies were smart, they would spend less time worrying about an acronym and more time doing the work because that is what actually matters.”
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