Apple’s board has called on investors to vote against a proposal to end its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programmes.
Apple’s directors say the NCPPR’s proposal was unnecessary because the company has appropriate checks and balances in place.
“The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program,” the firm’s filing to investors said.
Apple’s board also said the DEI rollback plan “inappropriately seeks to micromanage the Company’s programs and policies by suggesting a specific means of legal compliance.”
Mr Zuckerberg is not alone among top executives making such moves in the face of mounting pressure from conservative groups.
A proposal to terminate Apple’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs has been met with opposition from investors, according to the company’s board.
The technology giant was urged to remove its DEI policies by the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), which claims that these policies expose businesses to “litigation, reputational, and financial risks.”.
The directors of Apple claim that since the company has the proper checks and balances in place, the NCPPR’s proposal was unnecessary.
In anticipation of Donald Trump’s return to the White House this month, other significant US corporations, such as Amazon and Meta, have scaled back their DEI initiatives. Trump has been a harsh critic of DEI policies.
“The proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance program,” the company stated in its investor filing.
The DEI rollback plan “inappropriately seeks to micromanage the Company’s programs and policies by suggesting a specific means of legal compliance,” according to Apple’s board of directors. “,”.
On February 25, shareholders will have the opportunity to vote on NCPPR’s proposal during Apple’s annual general meeting.
Regarding their DEI programs, conservative organizations have threatened to sue large corporations, claiming that the policies violate a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that disapproved of university affirmative action.
Facebook owner Meta joined a growing list of large companies, including Amazon, Walmart, and McDonald’s, in reversing its DEI initiatives last week.
Meta mentioned a “shifting legal and policy landscape” in a memo to employees regarding the decision, which has an impact on supplier, hiring, and training initiatives.
The affirmative action decision from the Supreme Court was also mentioned.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has been making efforts to make amends with Trump since his election in November.
The company has appointed a Republican to lead his public affairs department, donated $1 million (£820,000) to the president-elect’s inauguration fund, and declared that it is eliminating fact-checkers from Meta’s social media accounts.
Despite growing pressure from conservative groups, Mr. Zuckerberg is not the only high-ranking executive taking such actions.