Google, Microsoft, and Meta have stopped this 10-year-old employee-related practice

Google, Microsoft and Facebook parent company Meta have reportedly stopped publishing annual diversity reports that detail the gender and racial composition of their workforces, ending a decade-long practice that began in 2014. According to a report, the decision by these three companies, which employ hundreds of thousands of people globally, contrasts with industry peers. Apple, Amazon, and Nvidia all released new diversity data this year.

Citing four employees familiar with internal discussions, Wired reported that Google, which helped establish the practice of releasing diversity, equity, and inclusion reports, has no plans to disclose the information this year.

Meanwhile, Microsoft and Meta spokespeople confirmed to WIRED that their companies will not publish diversity reports this year.

Microsoft chief spokesperson Frank Shaw told the publication that the company is not doing “a traditional report this year as we've evolved beyond that to formats that are more dynamic and accessible,” including “stories, videos, and insights that show inclusion in action.” Shaw said the company’s “mission and commitment to our culture and values remain unchanged.”



Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed the company will not publish a diversity report this year but declined to provide further details, the report added.

Google started publishing diversity reporting

The report said that following pressure from civil rights activists including Rev. Jesse Jackson and his Rainbow PUSH Coalition advocacy group, Google released employee diversity data for the first time in 2014. Several other tech companies followed later that year.

Tech executives said they recognised the need for transparency about underrepresentation of demographic groups.

“It's hard to address these kinds of challenges if you're not prepared to discuss them openly, and with the facts,” Google's people operations leader Laszlo Bock wrote at the time.

Google released 11 annual reports covering data from 2013 through 2023, with the last report published in June 2024. Meta released data spanning 2014 through 2022. Microsoft's final update came in October 2024.

President Donald Trump's return to the White House in January shifted corporate conversation about DEI. Trump ordered federal agencies to “combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities,” including potentially suing companies or fining them for prioritising identity over merit in employment decisions.

Major employers including Meta and Google suspended minority hiring targets and removed some references to "diversity, equity, and inclusion" from their websites and regulatory filings around the time of Trump's order.