Apple shareholders reject proposal to scrap DEI program

Apple shareholders on Tuesday rejected a proposal to end the iPhone maker’s diversity, equity and inclusion program. 

The National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, called on Apple to follow other major companies in backing off from DEI, which has come under fire by Republicans and President Donald Trump. 

“DEI poses litigation, reputational and financial risks to companies, and therefore financial risks to their shareholders, and therefore further risks to companies for not abiding by their fiduciary duties,” according to the proposal offered by the group. It offered a similar proposal at Costco’s annual meeting in January that shareholders also rejected.

In responding to the anti-DEI proposal, Apple defended its diversity program as an integral part of its corporate culture, crediting the policies in part for making the technology giant the most valuable company in the world.

DEI, aimed at promoting fairness in the workplace and opening career paths for people of color, women and other protected classes, gained momentum after the 2020 murder of George Floyd. 

But that trend has unraveled of late, with technology titan Google and discount store chain Target joining Walmart and other corporations in scaling back their diversity initiatives under pressure from conservative activists emboldened by court rulings and by President Trump, who has banned DEI programs across the federal government. 

—This is a developing story and will be updated.

contributed to this report.