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Amazon’s headquarters buildings and the Spheres in Seattle’s Denny Triangle neighborhood in September 2024. (GeekWire Photo / Kurt Schlosser)
Amazon scrubbed a reference to workforce diversity from its annual 10-K report this morning, reflecting a broader corporate retreat from diversity and inclusion practices amid changing political winds.
Under a section of the report titled “Human Capital,” the Seattle-area tech giant stated, “Our employees are critical to our mission of being Earth’s most customer-centric company” and that it “strives to be the Earth’s best employer.”
In last year’s report, the section continued, “As we strive to be Earth’s best employer, we focus on investment and innovation, inclusion and diversity, safety, and engagement to hire and develop the best talent.”
The disappearance of the clause lines up with other moves by the company to reframe its policies around diversity as President Trump and his administration are aggressively dismantling DEI efforts throughout the government and in federally supported programs.
CNBC spotted and reported on the change earlier today.
Asked to comment on the change, an Amazon spokesperson directed GeekWire to a paragraph addressing diversity, equity and inclusion on its policy positions webpage.
“We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive company that helps us build the best range of products and services for our broad customer base,” it reads, in part.
In Trump’s executive order, titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” he instructs agencies to identify up to nine large corporations, nonprofits, foundations, associations and/or universities for potential investigations. The organizations would be targeted in an effort to “deter DEI programs or principles (whether specifically denominated ‘DEI’ or otherwise) that constitute illegal discrimination or preferences.”
Corporations including Boeing, Meta, Walmart, Target and others have recently rolled back and in some cases publicly disavowed their diversity programs.
Amazon’s approach has been more diplomatic. In December, the company’s leadership shared news with employees that in regard to its DEI efforts, “we’ve been winding down outdated programs and materials, and we’re aiming to complete that by the end of 2024.”
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on Thursday shared photos of himself celebrating Black History Month with the Black Employee Network, an Amazon employee-led group. (Image from LinkedIn post)
The message came from Candi Castleberry, Amazon’s vice president of Inclusive eXperiences and Technology (IXT), who previously held the title of vice president of Global Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.
In her message, Castleberry did emphasize that to serve customers worldwide, Amazon needed “millions of employees and partners that reflect our customers and communities. We strive to be representative of those customers and build a culture that’s inclusive for everyone.”
While the language and programming appears to be stepping back from diversity-focused efforts, it’s difficult to know how that’s playing out for its workforce.
Take, for example, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s actions this week. On Thursday, Jassy posed for a photo op with Amazon’s employee-led Black Employee Network (BEN) in celebration of the start of Black History Month.
Jassy posted the photos on LinkedIn, praising the group.
“We’re fortunate to have a tremendous team of builders and leaders who make Amazon stronger and help us innovate faster and better for all customers,” Jassy said. “Grateful to BEN and all Black leaders and visionaries whose work has and continues to shape our society and culture.”
His post elicited many comments of gratitude, including one from Angelina Howard, a manager with Amazon Web Services.
“It’s always a pleasure to have you at this annual celebration. It means so much when leaders don’t just say they care but show up and engage,” Howard wrote to Jassy. “Thank you for your continued support of BEN and for making time to connect with employees. Your commitment and intentionality truly make a difference!”
