Ford is the latest company to scale back its “woke” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives following boycott pressure from anti-DEI advocate Robby Starbuck.
Robby Starbuck, a former Hollywood music video director turned conservative activist, has successfully pressured several high-profile companies, including Harley-Davidson, to abandon inclusive employment policies. Yesterday, he shared a memo on his X account from Ford CEO Jim Farley, announcing that Ford will no longer pursue diversity goals or quotas in hiring, at dealerships, or when selecting suppliers. Bloomberg confirmed the authenticity of the memo.
“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,” Farley wrote in the memo to employees.
The memo also revealed that Ford will no longer participate in external culture surveys such as the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index or in various “best places to work” lists.
The Human Rights Campaign, one of the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy groups, developed the index as a national benchmark for corporate policies, practices, and benefits pertinent to LGBTQ employees.
Farley further stated that the company would focus its efforts and resources on serving customers, supporting its team, and engaging with communities rather than publicly commenting on polarizing issues.
“Issues and events around the world evoke strong emotions and affect us as individuals in different ways,” he concluded. “And while we may have differences of opinion, we can treat each other with respect and civility, recognizing how much we have in common as colleagues and friends.”
Starbuck, who claimed to be “in the middle of investigating woke policies” at Ford before the company confirmed the changes, suggested that Ford will also stop making donations to pride events or other divisive causes.
“Sanity is coming for corporate America,” Starbuck declared to his more than half a million followers on X.
The decline of DEI Diversity, equity, and inclusion became corporate buzzwords after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 spurred widespread support for anti-racist workplace policies.
In 2020, job postings for DEI roles surged by 55% on Glassdoor. However, the recruitment platform has since observed that companies have been quietly laying off DEI staff at nearly twice the rate of non-DEI roles.
Now, some companies are publicly retracting their previous commitments, with Starbuck as a major driving force behind these changes.
Last week, Starbuck announced that Jack Daniel’s parent company, Brown-Forman, had reversed its inclusion policies before he even had a chance to initiate a boycott.
The company stated that it is removing all its “quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions” and ending participation in the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.
“We launched our diversity and inclusion strategy in 2019. Since then, the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically, particularly within the United States,” the company explained, echoing Ford’s reasoning.
“We’re now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting, just from the fear they have of being the next company we expose,” Starbuck said.
Who is Robby Starbuck?
Since early June, Robby Starbuck has been “exposing” companies whose diversity commitments he believes do not align with their customer base.
A number of companies with a predominantly red-state clientele have already yielded to his pressure.
Starbuck has claimed credit for persuading companies like Lowe’s, Tractor maker Deere, and farming equipment retailer Tractor Supply to pull back on their DEI programs.
But who is this right-wing commentator, and why has he taken it upon himself to investigate “woke policies”?
The 35-year-old is a former write-in candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee.
Earlier this year, he released a two-hour documentary on X titled “The War on Children,” accusing LGBTQ+ activists, the entertainment industry, and social media platforms of indoctrinating and sexualizing kids.
The Nashville-based activist told CNN that he wants corporate America to remain neutral on social issues and is focused on “corporate accountability for companies that depend on conservative consumers.”
