Ford joins growing list of companies revising DEI policies amid backlash

Ford (NYSE:F) has become the latest company to scale back its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program, joining several other U.S. firms who have revised their policies amid pressure from conservative groups.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker on Wednesday told employees it would modify its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and will no longer participate in a notable ranking by an LGBTQ advocacy group.

In an internal memo shared with Bloomberg by anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck and confirmed as authentic by the company, Ford CEO Jim Farley said, “We are mindful that our employees and customers hold a wide range of beliefs, and the external and legal environment related to political and social issues continues to evolve.”

The automaker said it will no longer engage with the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and various “best places to work” lists, and has also refocused employee resource groups and opened them to all its workers. The company is also shifting some of its corporate sponsorships, and said it would comment less on polarizing issues.

Ford (F) joins a growing list of U.S. companies, including JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Harley Davidson (HOG), and Lowe’s (LOW), who are scaling back their diversity programs amid online criticism.

Anti-DEI filmmaker Robby Starbuck has claimed credit for pushing many of these companies to modify or eliminate their diversity and social impact programs.

His online campaign against DEI policies of Tractor Supply (TSCO), Deere (DE) and Harley-Davidson (HOG) have led to these companies revising or scrapping diversity programs.

Brown-Forman (BF.B), which makes Jack Daniel’s whiskey, ended its DEI programs last week, just before Starbuck released a video criticizing its policies.

“This isn’t everything we want but it’s a great start,” Starbuck wrote on X claiming he was investigating Ford’s (F) policies before the announcement. “We’re now forcing multibillion-dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting just from fear they have of being the next company that we expose.”

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