Meta Ends DEI Programs in Latest Policy Reversal

Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta on Friday announced the end of its corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, marking a dramatic reversal as such programs come under intense scrutiny from the public.

“The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” wrote Vice President of Human Resources Janelle Gale in a memo obtained by Axios.

Gale highlighted a recently Supreme Court ruling barring affirmative action in college admissions and suggested it was indicative of how courts would handle DEI programs in the future. She further noted the politicized nature of such initiatives .

“We believe there are other ways to build an industry-leading workforce and leverage teams made up of world-class people from all types of backgrounds,” she wrote.

The move comes after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg terminated Facebook’s partnerships with fact-checking organizations and announced plans to replace them with a user-driven system similar to X’s community notes. Zuckerberg met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his election win and Meta has donated to his inauguration fund. […]

— Read More: justthenews.com

The Biden administration pushed Facebook to censor posts about COVID-19 that it deemed misinformation, according to documents published by House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan in July 2023. Zuckerberg, on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” revealed that also Meta faced investigations and backlash after Biden accused Facebook of “killing people” in July 2021 for not censoring so-called COVID-19 misinformation.

“Basically, these people from the Biden Administration would call up our team and like scream at them and curse,” Zuckerberg said. “And it’s like these documents are — it’s all kind of out there.”

Rogan asked if Meta had recorded any of the calls, but Zuckerberg said he did not believe so.

“I mean, there are emails. The emails are published. It’s all kind of out there …. And basically, it just got to this point where we were like, ‘No, we’re not going to — we’re not going to take down things that are true. That’s ridiculous,’” Zuckerberh said. “They wanted us to take down this meme of Leonardo DiCaprio looking at a TV, talking about how ten years from now or something, you’re going to see an ad that says, ‘Okay, if you took a COVID vaccine, you’re eligible, like for this kind of payment,’ like this sort of like class-action lawsuit-type meme. And they’re like, ‘No, you have to take that down.’”

“We just said, ‘No, we’re not going to take down humor and satire. We’re not going to take down things that are true.’ And then at some point, I guess — I don’t know — it flipped a bit,” he added. “I mean, Biden, when he was — he gave some statement at some point, I don’t know if it was a press conference or to some journalist, where he basically was like, ‘These guys are killing people.’ And I don’t know. Then like all these different agencies and branches of government basically just like started investigating and coming after our company. It was brutal.”

Facebook executives believed they were engaged in a “knife fight” with Biden’s White House on COVID-19 censorship, according to a House Judiciary Committee report published in May.

Zuckerberg in August expressed remorse that Facebook caved to pressure from the Biden administration to censor content in a letter to Jordan. He wrote that senior Biden administration officials “repeatedly pressured” Facebook teams to censor COVID-19 content that the platform otherwise would not have suppressed, and voiced frustration when Facebook disagreed.

“I believe the government pressure was wrong, and I regret that we were not more outspoken about it,” Zuckerberg wrote. “I also think we made some choices that, with the benefit of hindsight and new information, we wouldn’t make today.”

Zuckerberg also alleged in 2022 on “The Joe Rogan Experience” that the FBI warned Facebook of a “Russian propaganda” dump just before the Hunter Biden laptop story broke.

“The FBI basically came to us and some folks on our team and said, ‘Hey, just so you know, you should be on high alert, we thought there was a lot of Russian propaganda in the 2016 election and we have noticed that basically there’s about to be some kind of dump that’s similar to that, so be vigilant,’” he said.

The Meta CEO said he could not recall whether the FBI specifically mentioned the Hunter Biden laptop story, but asserted it fit “the pattern.”

The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Meta referred the DCNF to documents released by the House Judiciary Committee and Jordan.

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It’s important to understand the context surrounding Zuckerberg following a string of seemingly positive moves. First, he met with President Trump’s team to try to get involved with the administration. Then, he donated $1,000,000 to President Trump’s inauguration fund. Yesterday, he added Trump ally Dana White to the board at Meta. Now this…

ZUCKERBERG COPIES ELON: META DITCHING FACT-CHECKERS FOR COMMUNITY NOTES

“We're gonna get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.

More specifically, we're gonna get rid of fact checkers and… pic.twitter.com/NOWsLq5hMT

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 7, 2025

Zuckerberg: we were pushed to censor by US government over past four years pic.twitter.com/LLb96HfWlk

— Karli Bonne’ (@KarluskaP) January 7, 2025

According to Fox News:

Meta is ending its fact-checking program and lifting restrictions on speech to “restore free expression” across Facebook, Instagram and Meta platforms, admitting its current content moderation practices have “gone too far.”

“We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a video posted Tuesday morning. “More specifically, we’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with Community Notes similar to 𝕏, starting in the U.S.”

“Fact-checkers” have plagued Facebook for years. They are arguably the most biased of the “journalistic” censors out there and have been a total embarrassment for the company. Nevertheless, they’ve effectively subdued conservatives on the platform. Replacing them with “Community Notes” similar to 𝕏 is a welcomed change… if it’s real.

All of these are positive signs, which is why it’s important to remember the context. Everyone who has dealt with Zuckerberg over the last two decades has regretted it. That includes the Biden regime, which Zuckerberg exposed over the summer as “pressuring” him and his platform to engage in censorship.

Perhaps he’s really making a change, but we shouldn’t believe it until we see it for a long time. Does he deserve the benefit of the doubt? Absolutely not. He should be treated like the snake that he is, kept at arm’s length and with the assumption that no matter how “reformed” he seems today, he can bite back like a cornered viper at any moment.

I love social media. And I’m excited to be a small part of the future of AI and emerging technologies. @Meta pic.twitter.com/Amh5W728og

— danawhite (@danawhite) January 6, 2025

In Meta’s press release announcing the new members of its board, White said:

“I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board. I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future. I am very excited to join this incredible team and to learn more about this business from the inside. There is nothing I love more than building brands, and I look forward to helping take Meta to the next level.”

Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, now politically independent, has expressed a desire to make Facebook and Instagram more open to conservative voices. Following controversies surrounding the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story and Covid content, Zuckerberg admitted to facing pressure from the Biden-Harris regime to censor posts. In a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, he claimed that the regime expressed frustration when Meta resisted these demands, further spotlighting tensions between the company and political figures.

On today’s episode of The JD Rucker Show, we discussed why we shouldn’t just assume that people like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos seem to be falling in line because Donald Trump won. We have to assume that there is evil intent and the longer game is not going to play out the way things appear to be heading now.

It feels like the political winds are shifting. Major corporations and influential figures, once vocal opponents of conservative values, appear to be softening their stance. But is this sudden harmony genuine, or is something else at play? Questions linger about the intent behind these actions, and the quiet is unsettling.

Good News… Or Is It?

There’s been what some might consider “good news” lately: Vice President Kamala Harris overseeing the certification of the Electoral College vote without issue, known Trump supporter Dana White being invited to join Meta’s board, and big donations—like Apple’s Tim Cook contributing $1 million to the inauguration fund. Even traditionally “woke” companies and individuals seem eager to participate in this new chapter under Donald Trump’s presidency.

On the surface, this may feel like progress. After all, 2016 and 2017 saw widespread resistance, from riots on inauguration day to corporate backlash against the administration. But now, companies and public figures are stepping up to align with the current leadership. At least, that’s how it seems.

McDonald’s, Meta, and the Appearance of Change

Even brands like McDonald’s have distanced themselves from corporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives, which have long been viewed as critical parts of woke agendas. Meta’s choice to add Dana White to its board only fuels speculation about a pivot in the tech giant’s values.

Mark Zuckerberg’s connection to MMA and Dana White is no secret, but appointing a high-profile Trump ally raises eyebrows. Zuckerberg famously spent $400 million to oppose Trump in 2020, so why the sudden shift?

It’s tempting to think these moves signal a new embrace of conservative ideals. But is that optimism warranted? Large corporations like Meta, Apple, or Amazon don’t change course overnight. Are we being lulled into a false sense of security?

What’s Missing: The Resistance

What’s even more suspicious: there’s no chaos. Historically, political shifts like this have met with immediate resistance. Remember the rioting of 2016? Or the protests during the “Summer of Love” in 2020? Where are the activists? Where’s the outrage?

The almost eerie calmness has set off alarm bells. Could this be a case of “the calm before the storm”?

Why Now?

This brings us to the broader question: why now? Why would figures like Zuckerberg, Cook, or even Justin Trudeau seem to change their tune? Whether political realignment, financial incentive, or long-term planning, their motives aren’t transparent.

Global elites have historically served their own interests. The sudden pivot towards conservative values contradicts their track record. These individuals aren’t known to “change their hearts.”

And if they haven’t truly changed, what’s their endgame? Could this be part of a larger play, something yet to unfold?

The Calm Before the Storm

There’s an old saying: “if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.” This silence doesn’t add up. If major figures within the global elite cabal are acting unusually cooperative, it might signal they’re working on something even bigger behind the scenes.

It’s reminiscent of scenarios in fiction where villains conspicuously behave “well” when they know they’re being watched. Could this be a misdirection of epic proportions? Are we being lulled into complacency while more sinister plans unfold?

Trust With Caution

It’s natural to want to believe in change. People love redemption stories, and conservatives tend to see the good in forward progress. But when individuals like Zuckerberg, who fought hard against Trump, suddenly toss symbolic gestures like donations or small board appointments, questions must be asked.

What does Zuckerberg gain by bringing in Dana White? Is Apple’s donation just a public relations move? Why aren’t we hearing from global influencers who were so vocal before?

Don’t Let Your Guard Down

Instead of celebrating too soon, conservatives should remain skeptical. Creating distance from woke ideology or donating to political causes shouldn’t earn these individuals blind trust. Motives matter.

Let the track records speak. Trust figures who have been consistent in their values. Believing that long-time opponents have truly changed their stance after one election sets a dangerous precedent.

Conclusion

Conservative optimism is understandable. After years of fierce opposition, the idea of unity and progress sounds promising. But caution is necessary. The quiet, the calm, and the sudden cooperation feel too convenient.

Stay vigilant. Quiet moves often lead to louder consequences. Always question the motives of those who’ve spent years opposing what they now appear to support. It’s one thing to offer a hand—it’s another to wonder if it’s holding a dagger behind its back.