McDonald’s is the latest to roll back its ‘woke’ DEI policies as the trend continues into 2025

McDonald’s announced Monday that it will end some practices that are part of its broader mission to be inclusive, becoming the latest major company to back away. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Politics that critics consider “woke.”

The fast food giant is the first company to adjust its DEI policies in 2025. Last year, a slew of companies made similar changes, including Walmart, Ford Motor CompanyJohn Deere, Lowe’s and Toyota, after activist pressure.

tape	protection	last	It changes	% changes
MCD	McDonald’s Corporation	292.18	-2.60	-0.88%
F	Ford Motor Company	9.92	+0.04	+0.40%
TM	Toyota Motor Company	190.39	-4.86	-2.49%
a little	Lowe’s company	249.74	+1.26	+0.51%
to	Deere & Co	418.00	-4.22	-1.00%

In an open letter to franchisees, employees and suppliers, McDonald’s praised its achievements in its commitment to inclusion, one of its “core values,” and the company also said it wanted to “highlight some important changes in our approach.”

The changes include McDonald’s scrapping its “ambitious representation goals,” eliminating its DEI pledge to its suppliers, changing the name of its diversity team to the Global Inclusion Team and ending external surveys.

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Although McDonald’s did not mention any outside surveys by name, the decision means it joins a long list of companies that have pledged to end participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, an annual survey and report used to measure “policies and practices.” and benefits relevant to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) employees.”

McDonald’s said It began discussing changes months ago, acknowledging that it is examining the legal landscape following the 2024 Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action as well as similar moves by other companies.

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Anti-woke activist and filmmaker Robbie Starbuck, who has been leading a campaign exposing major companies’ wake policies, said on Channel Agree to change it.

Starbuck has taken credit for forcing changes on the above companies, as well as Tractor Supply, Harley-Davidson, Polaris, Indian Motorcycle, Coors, and Stanley Black & Decker, Jack Daniel Brown Forman’s motherand Dewalt, Craftsman, Caterpillar, Boeing and Nissan tools.

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Starbuck told his followers: “As our first company in 2025, I just want to say, Happy New Year!”