Tech giant Google is reassessing some of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and has deleted its target to recruit more workers from underrepresented groups – an initiative put in place after heavy endorsements back in 2020 in the wake of protests against police killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans.

Neither was Google the first company to set these DEI-based hiring targets, nor is it the first one to roll them back. Other tech giants like Meta, Amazon, and retail giant Walmart have recently backstepped on their DEI initiatives, raising big questions about diversity and inclusion in the global tech industry. 

In an email marked to employees company-wide, Fiona Cicconi, the Chief People Officer at Google informed its DEI rollback decision, “In 2020, we set aspirational hiring goals and focused on growing our offices outside California and New York to improve representation..but in the future we will no longer have aspirational goals."

The tech giant has been a strong advocate of inclusive policies ever since conservative activists began criticising companies for their workplace programs, employee affinity groups, and recruitment practices aimed at supporting historically marginalised groups facing discrimination and exclusion in society, the economy, education, and culture. 

Google CEO Sundar Pichai set a revised goal of hiring underrepresented groups at 30 percent by 2025. At that time, about 96 percent of the tech giants' U.S. leaders were either white or Asian, and 73 percent of their global leaders were men.

Thereafter, in 2021 the tech giant began assessing executive performance based on team diversity and inclusion after a top AI researcher claimed she was fired for criticising the company's diversity efforts. Google’s Chief Diversity Officer, Melonie Parker, shared in a 2024 BBC interview that the company had achieved 60 percent of its five-year goal. She also reflected in the annual report 2024, “In 2023, Google celebrated its 25th anniversary. Over that quarter century, we’ve learned that making space for diverse perspectives and experiences is inseparable from innovation. Our mission to make the world’s information universally accessible and useful has inspired us to design and build for everyone. Today, I’m proud to share the efforts we made in 2023 to get closer to realising that mission – supporting our people, developing our technology, and serving the communities we call home. We doubled down on building a workplace where everyone feels supported to do their best work. And our efforts made an impact: We’ve found that the products that deliver the most value are the ones that bring more opportunity to the people who use them. So we prioritised new features and updates that make things more useful for more people.”

A Google spokesperson said the company have not updated figures on Pichai's goals. The company's annual report also removed a statement about its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which previously said Google aimed to build a workforce representative of its users. The spokesperson explained that this change reflects an ongoing review of DEI programs.

Meanwhile, Fionna recently celebrated Google's recognition as one of Forbes' top employers, stating, “Huge congrats to our employees and teams for making Google and our Other Bets great places to work year after year! At Google, we’ve always believed that it’s the people that make the place. Forbes has ranked Alphabet at number two on its inaugural list of the best American companies.”

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This turning point in the DEI landscape reflects how businesses are reassessing the costs, benefits, and legal risks of diversity programs. Rather than a standardised method, companies are now balancing inclusivity with evolving legal requirements. Google’s decision could signal a broader shift in the tech sector, with businesses redefining DEI to align with today’s realities. While the future of workplace diversity remains uncertain, balance is the key as the conversation continues.