Shareholders of Apple Inc. have rejected a proposal for the company to abandon it's diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) policies. The attempt to cancel DEI at Apple was initiated by the conservative think tank, the National Center for Public Policy Research, according to a report from CBS.
The iPhone maker has a page on its website devoted to DEI information. One section reads, "We're continuing to create a culture of inclusion, increasing representation across teams, and holding ourselves accountable at every level. Because belonging takes all of us."
CBS reports Apple management played a video of the research center's Stephen Padfield at the meeting prior to the shareholder vote, where he said, "The risks to Apple stemming from continuing to push these divisive and value-destroying agendas is only increasing in light of President [Donald] Trump's recent executive order focusing the Department of Justice on rooting out illegal discrimination being carried out in the name of DEI." The center contends Apple could lose billions from DEI lawsuits.
Apple CEO Tim Cook personally addressed the issue during the meeting. He told shareholders, "We've never had quotas or targets for Apple. Our strength has always come from hiring the very best people and then providing a culture of collaboration." Cook said some aspects of the DEI policies might have be adjusted. "But our North Star of dignity and respect for everyone, and our work to that end, will never waver," he said."
The National Center for Public Policy Research has a similar DEI proposal pending before Deere & Company.