Summary
Microsofthas been accused of shutting down one of its key diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) teams last month, according to a scathing internal email sent to various employees by the team’s former lead. In this email, the former DEI lead also accuses executive leadership at Microsoft of “investigated and evidenced discrimination, harassment, and toxicity.”
First reported byBusiness Insider(and later confirmed byIGN), the former DEI lead sent out an internal email explaining that their “role and team were eliminated” as of July 1 due to Microsoft’s “changing business needs.” At the time of writing, the full extent of these layoffs has not been revealed by the former DEI lead or Microsoft itself, though spokesperson Jeff Jones had released a statement to Business Wire explaining the company’s D&I commitments “remain unchanged.”
This internal email then goes on to state that DEI teams across the entire world of business are at risk, and that many are reaching the end of their “purposeful and strategic 3-5 year shelf life” that began following the murder of George Floyd. They also claim that many businesses think that DEI teams are “no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020.”
The way I see it, the timing was impeccable so businesses everywhere could reevaluate the path forward should their U.S. federal contracts be at risk if the work continues on its face."
The email then goes on to praise the people that work in Microsoft’s DEI teams and that “impossible mountains were moved,” but that they were also the target of “investigated and evidenced discrimination, harassment, and toxicity.” Finally, they go on to praise the “brilliant, ethical, and world-class strategists” that are still at the company that are “helping to make the world a better place.”
Of course, while this could be a deliberate attempt by Microsoft to reduce the company’s focus on DEI policies, the company has been no stranger to layoffs over the past couple of years. On top ofclosing both Hi-Fi Rush and Redfall developers Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin, Microsoft haslaid off well over 10,000 employees over the last two years alone, with 1,900 people losing their jobs afterthe company’s $75.4 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
