Apple has a well-earned reputation for thinking differently, especially when it comes to bucking social trends.
Now the world’s biggest tech company has taken a decidedly different tack on Tuesday after it rejected changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, bucking a trend among American corporate giants across all sectors of the economy.
That’s because the fruity iPhone maker’s shareholders overwhelmingly rejected a proposal urging it to reconsider its commitment to workplace inclusivity even as other major tech firms such as Meta, Microsoft, and Google scale back theirs.
The proposal, put forth by the National Center for Public Policy Research — a conservative think tank — called on Apple to follow the lead of other corporations that have recently distanced themselves from DEI programs and align with US president President Donald Trump’s push to eliminate corporate diversity efforts at the highest levels of government and industry.
Critics say DEI amounts to institutionalized racism against whites.
After a brief discussion, Apple announced that shareholders had voted against the anti-DEI measure, though specific vote counts were not immediately disclosed. Preliminary results are expected to be outlined in a regulatory filing later this week.
Despite increasing legal and political scrutiny, as exemplified by the Trump administration’s call for the US department of justice to investigate corporate DEI policies, Apple CEO Tim Cook has remained steadfast in his belief that an inclusive workforce is vital to the company’s long-term success.
At the meeting he maintained that Apple’s approach has been instrumental in helping the company reach a market valuation of USD$3.7 trillion, the highest in the world.
“We will continue to create a culture of belonging,” Cook reassured shareholders, while acknowledging that Apple may need to make “some adjustments” to its DEI programs as the legal landscape shifts.
In its most recent diversity report, Apple revealed that nearly three-quarters of its global workforce consists of white and Asian employees, with nearly two-thirds of positions occupied by men. Like other tech giants, Apple has long faced criticism for the lack of diversity in its engineering ranks.
During the meeting, Stefan Padfield, executive director of the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project, argued “forced diversity is bad for business” and that such initiatives expose Apple to legal risks.
“The vibe shift is clear: DEI is out, and merit is in,” Padfield stated in his presentation, citing Apple’s competitors, including Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft, as examples of firms that have pulled back from such programs.
A separate shareholder proposal sought to scrutinize Apple’s charitable contributions to so-called ‘progressive’ organizations, specifically its support for the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
Critics argue the SPLC’s ‘hate map’ unfairly targets conservative and religious organizations.
Tech leaders have increasingly found themselves navigating a shifting political and legal environment, particularly after a Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action in college admissions raised new questions about corporate diversity policies.
Meanwhile, other mainstream companies including Pepsi, Molson-Coors, Jack Daniel’s, John Deere and even Harley-Davidson have succumbed to a growing consumer backlash against DEI policies.
Despite these headwinds, Apple’s leadership Joined the likes of Costco that have resisted calls to dismantle its DEI infrastructure.
“Diversity makes us stronger,” Cook has previously stated. “We see it as a core value, not a passing trend.”