Jason Miller, senior adviser to the Trump-Vance transition, discusses the push for dismissal of Trump’s criminal case in New York, a pardon for Hunter Biden and the potential roles some prominent public figures could play in Trump’s policies.
First on Fox: dead Head of global policy Joel Kaplan told Fox News Digital that the move to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs will ensure the company “builds teams with the most talented people” rather than making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics.
dead, It announced Friday that it has terminated its major DEI programs, effective immediately.
Meta finalizes company’s DEI programs
Meta’s vice president of human resources, Janelle Gale, sent a memo, first obtained by Axios, to employees explaining that “the legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion is changing.”
Kaplan, head of global policy at Meta, discussed the decision with Fox News Digital on Friday afternoon.
The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech exhibition in Paris, France, on June 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus/AP Newsroom)
“Ultimately this is about doing what’s best for our company and making sure we serve everyone and build teams with the most talented people,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital. “This means evaluating people as individuals, selecting people from a pool of candidates, but never making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics like race or gender.”
Recent decisions by the Supreme Court “signal a shift in how courts approach DEI,” Kaplan noted.
“It reaffirms well-established principles that discrimination should not be tolerated or promoted on the basis of inherent characteristics,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital.
The US Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Friday, January 5, 2024. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
He added: “There is clearly a shift in this issue from a political and legal perspective, and we expect that to happen further, and we want to ensure that our programs are in a long-term and sustainable position.”
Several other prominent companies have backed away from DEI policies in recent months.
Trump says Meta has “come a long way” after Zuckerberg ended fact-checking on platforms
McDonald’s announced Monday that it would end some of its DEI policies, saying that despite its commitment to inclusion, it had abandoned its “ambitious representation goals,” as well as ending its DEI pledge to suppliers. The company also changed the name of its diversity team to the Global Inclusion Team and ended external surveys on the topic.
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The fast food giant’s decision follows similar changes made in 2024 by Walmart and Ford Motor Co. John Deere, Lowe’s, and Toyota.
Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon joins The Bottom Line with reaction to Meta’s decision to end the tech giant’s fact-checking program.
In mid-December, the Federal Court of Appeals Rejecting Nasdaq’s diversity rules Which has previously been approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Meta’s move to end its DEI programs comes just days after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would end fact-checking programs across its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
Zuckerberg said his company “will return to our roots and focus on reducing errors, simplifying our policies, and restoring freedom of expression on our platforms.”
Meta plans to replace fact checking with a “community feedback” form similar to the one used in X.
Executives said Meta’s fact-checking program was put in place after the 2016 election, and was used to “moderate content” and misinformation on its platforms, largely due to “political pressure,” but they admitted the system “went overboard.” far.”
President-elect Donald Trump reacted To dead is moving to end fact-checking programs on Facebook, Instagram and its other platforms, with Fox News Digital saying in an exclusive interview that the company “has come Long way.”
Trump said he thought “Meta’s show was excellent.”
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As for the timing of changes to Meta’s fact-checking software, Kaplan told Fox News Digital that the company has a “real opportunity now.”
“We have a new administration coming in that is far from pressuring companies to censor, and (much more) supportive of free speech,” Kaplan said. “It brings us back to the values that Mark founded the company on.”
Last year, Zuckerberg sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee, in which he admitted that he felt pressure from the Biden administration, especially regarding Covid-19 content, and even topics such as satire and humor.
“The thing is, as American companies, when you see other governments around the world that don’t have our traditions or our First Amendment, when you see the U.S. government pressuring American companies to remove content, it’s just open season on those governments that have to exercise more,” Kaplan explained. Of the pressures (on its companies). “We believe it is a real opportunity to work with the Trump administration and work on freedom of expression at home.”
Kaplan also said that Meta sees “opportunities to partner” with the Trump administration, not only on free speech issues but also in “promoting American business and America’s technological superiority.”
“These are issues of great importance to Meta and our industry,” Kaplan said. “We are excited to work with the Trump administration to achieve these goals.”
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