PepsiCo Inc. is the latest company to withdraw from its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, Bloomberg reports.
Pepsi will abandon workforce hiring and representation targets and no longer have a Chief DEI Officer, while expanding its supplier diversity program to include all small businesses, according to a memo from CEO Ramon Laguarta.
Laguarta said PepsiCo has been refining its DEI approach over the past year “to ensure it is aligned with our long-term business strategy, responsive to local markets, and focused on the principles that drive sustainable growth.”
Anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck posted the contents of the memo on social media Thursday, and a PepsiCo spokesperson confirmed the memo from Laguarta.
Dozens of iconic U.S. flagship companies, including Amazon.com and Walmart Inc., have scaled back or ended their DEI programs in recent months, especially since President Donald Trump took office one month ago and began purging DEI from the federal government.
Conservative activists, including Starbuck, have pushed back against DEI initiatives, calling them biased and racist. The Trump administration has threatened to pursue criminal investigations against companies with “illegal” DEI.
Lee Barney ✉
Lee Barney, Newsmax’s financial editor, has been a financial journalist for 30 years, covering the economy, retirement planning, investing and financial technology.
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