Zoom axes team dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion

Zoom is to lay off 150 staff, including members of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) team, while still recruiting for machine learning, AI, and engineering roles.

Last week, Zoom’s chief operating officer, Aparna Bawa, told staff that the company is officially changing its approach to DEI, according to a report on Bloomberg.

Instead of having a dedicated team focused on inclusion, Zoom plans to hire outside consultants to engage its employees on DEI efforts.

A Zoom spokesperson said the company “remains committed to DEI”.

Zoom was one of many companies to launch initiatives aimed at increasing workplace DEI efforts, following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

The videoconferencing company’s programme included establishing a DEI team and hiring its first head of global emerging talent; hosting a two-part Global DEI Town Hall to share the overall strategy with Zoom employees; and launching Zoom Talks, a live-discussion series offering an opportunity to learn more about workers’ backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

Zoom’s move comes as other tech companies pull back on DEI efforts, including Google and Meta and amid a backlash against corporate DEI in the US.

A Supreme Court ruling overturned affirmative action last year. Last month, Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma’s governor, signed an executive order that, in effect, bans DEI programmes at agencies, public colleges and universities across the state. And X owner Elon Musk tweeted: “DEI must DIE. The point was to end discrimination, not replace it with different discrimination.”

However, other employers including law firms Morrison Foerster and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, have beaten the backlash by tweaking the language of their DEI policies and updating eligibility criteria for diversity-related programs.