A bit of American technology giants are abandoning a decade-long practice of publishing statistics on the gender and racial composition of their workforce. Google, which helped publish annual diversity, equity and inclusion reports, does not plan to release that information this year, according to four employees familiar with internal discussions. Microsoft and Meta also won’t publish diversity reports and data this year, spokespeople for the companies confirmed to WIRED.
The broad loss of transparency, which has not been previously reported, could unknown the impact of President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI policies on tech workers. It could also create barriers for workers and civil rights groups seeking to transform tech companies to better reflect the structure of the countries in which they operate.
The decision of these three companies, which together employ hundreds of thousands of people around the world, also conflicts with decisions made by other companies in the industry. Apple, Amazon and Nvidia released modern diversity data this year.
Google did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
Disclosures over the past decade showed that Google and dozens of other tech companies were consistently hiring more women and racial minorities, although these groups were still underrepresented in technical and management positions compared to the general U.S. population. Some companies have also released additional data showing higher attrition rates for racial minorities and a lack of diversity when it comes to disabled or LGBTQ employees.
Microsoft’s chief spokesman, Frank Shaw, said in a statement to WIRED that the company is not producing a “traditional report” this year as we evolve toward more vigorous and accessible formats, including “stories, videos and insights that show inclusion in action.” He added that the company’s “mission and commitment to our culture and values remain unchanged.”
Meta spokeswoman Tracy Clayton confirmed that the company will not release a diversity report this year. He declined to provide details of the decision.
“Facts”
Under pressure from civil rights activists including Reverend Jesse Jackson and its advocacy group Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Google first released employee diversity data in 2014. Several other tech giants followed suit later that year.
Technology executives said they realized there was a need to be more candid about the underrepresentation of certain demographic groups. “These kinds of challenges are difficult to face if you are not prepared to openly discuss the facts” – Laszlo Bock, Google people operations leader he wrote then.
In the following years, Google published 11 annual reports. This included data from 2013 to 2023, with the latest report published in June 2024. Meta published data for 2014 until 2022. And Microsoft final update this kind appeared in October 2024.