Amazon ‘winds down’ DEI programs

An internal memo at the company sent to staffers by Candi Castleberry, the company's VP of inclusive experiences and technology, said Amazon is “winding down outdated programs and materials” as part of a wider effort to audit the various programs at Amazon, according to CNBC.

"Rather than have individual groups build programs, we are focusing on programs with proven outcomes — and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture," the memo said.

Castleberry added, "This approach — where we move away from programs that were separate from our existing processes, and instead integrating our work into existing processes so they become durable — is the evolution to 'built in' and 'born inclusive,' instead of 'bolted on.' As part of this evolution, we’ve been winding down outdated programs and materials, and we’re aiming to complete that by the end of 2024."

Castleberry's prior title was vice president of global diversity, equity and inclusion before the department changed its name in 2023. In 2020, the company set a goal of doubling black employees at Amazon in managerial roles. At that time, Amazon pledged to hire 30 percent more black employees in corporate roles.

The "Our Positions" page at Amazon previously had sections dedicated to "Diversity, equity and inclusion" as well as "LGBTQ+ rights." However, those have been made into one paragraph that says the company is "committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company."

Meta, Walmart, McDonald's, and a number of other corporations have slowly been moving away from DEI in the last year. Last week, Meta announced they would be ending DEI programs for hiring and training as well as for picking suppliers.