The news: Google removed diversity “aspirational goals” from its corporate strategy, citing compliance with federal contractor requirements and recent US executive orders. Similar moves by tech giants like Amazon and Meta, signal a broader industry shift.

In 2020, Google set a goal to increase underrepresented leadership by 30% by 2025. However, in 2023, it began cutting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and eliminating staff focused on hiring diverse candidates, per CNBC.

Google embraces its role as a federal contractor: Google, which wants to expand government contracts beyond the $9 billion Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC), also reversed its AI ethics stance, removing a commitment to avoid developing AI for weapons or surveillance.