Google drops diversity hiring targets amid broader corporate shift away from DEI initiatives

Google has announced that it will no longer set hiring goals aimed at increasing representation from underrepresented groups, marking a significant shift in its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

The company is also reviewing several of its DEI programs, aligning with a broader trend among major U.S. corporations scaling back diversity efforts.

In an email to employees on Wednesday, Fiona Cicconi, Alphabet’s chief people officer, confirmed that Google is moving away from its previous diversity-driven hiring objectives. “In 2020, we set aspirational hiring goals and focused on growing our offices outside California and New York to improve representation," she wrote. "...but in the future, we will no longer have aspirational goals."

This marks a reversal from Google's strong stance on diversity following the 2020 protests against racial injustice. That year, CEO Sundar Pichai set a goal to increase leadership representation from underrepresented groups by 30% by 2025. At the time, Google’s U.S. leadership was predominantly white or Asian (96%), while 73% of global leaders were men.

In 2021, Google also introduced performance evaluations for executives based on diversity and inclusion metrics. However, despite some progress - chief diversity officer Melonie Parker stated in a 2024 interview that 60% of the company’s five-year diversity goals had been met - the company has now decided to scale back.

Further signaling its changing approach, Alphabet removed a long-standing statement from its annual SEC filing, which previously emphasised its commitment to diversity and building a workforce reflective of its user base. That statement had been included in annual reports from 2021 to 2024, but a company spokesperson said it was removed as part of the broader review of DEI programs.

This decision has drawn criticism from worker advocacy groups. Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) president Parul Koul condemned the move, calling it “a real attack on gains that workers have made in the tech industry” and part of a “right-wing, anti-worker trend developing within tech companies.”

Google is not alone in scaling back diversity-focused programs.

Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced in January that it was ending several DEI initiatives related to hiring, training, and supplier selection. Amazon has also decided to phase out what it described as “outdated programs and materials” tied to representation and inclusion.

The shift in corporate diversity policies follows a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down affirmative action in university admissions, emboldening conservative groups to challenge DEI programs in the workplace.

As a federal contractor providing cloud computing and other services to the U.S. government, Google is also reviewing policy changes related to DEI compliance. Cicconi acknowledged in her email that the company is assessing how to adapt to recent executive orders and court rulings that impact federal contractors' DEI policies.

Despite the policy changes, Google confirmed that it will maintain internal employee networks such as "Trans at Google," "Black Googler Network," and the "Disability Alliance," which contribute to shaping company policies and products.