Consulting and accounting giant Deloitte is ending its diversity, equity, and inclusion programming for its private and public practices, joining other major companies that are pivoting for the second Trump era.
“We will sunset our workforce and business aspirational diversity goals, our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Transparency Report, and our DEI programming,” Doug Beaudoin, the company’s “chief people officer,” wrote Monday in an internal email to employees that was reviewed by the Standard.
Beaudoin wrote that the changes are being made after “a detailed review of all pertinent government directives to ensure we comply with their requirements, both as a private enterprise and as a government contractor.”
Deloitte received about $3 billion from the U.S. government in the last fiscal year, according to federal data. That includes nine-figure amounts from the Department of Defense, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Department of Homeland Security.
As of 2024, Deloitte employed more than 170,000 people in the U.S. across 136 offices. The London-based company is the largest by revenue and number of employees worldwide of the Big Four accounting firms, which also include EY, KPMG, and PwC.
President Donald Trump has attacked DEI as discriminatory, calling for federal agencies and private companies to return to “merit-based opportunity.” The day after assuming office, Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to end DEI practices and target DEI in the private sector. The executive order calls for federal contractors and subcontractors — including private companies — to be held responsible for “affirmative action” policies or engaging in “workforce balancing” based on race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion, or national origin.
Shortly after she was sworn in last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the Justice Department to “investigate, eliminate, and penalize” private companies and universities that have “illegal” DEI programs.
Beaudoin emphasized that “everyone is welcome at Deloitte” and said the company will continue fostering an inclusive culture while ending DEI programming to be “fully compliant with federal anti-discrimination laws.” Deloitte’s national communities, local inclusion councils, and history and Heritage Month events will remain open to employees.
Deloitte follows a slew of other companies rolling back their diversity programs and removing online references to DEI. At least a dozen of the largest U.S. companies have deleted some or all references to DEI from their most recent annual reports to investors, an NPR analysis found. Companies that pioneered DEI practices in Silicon Valley, such as Google and Meta, have ditched those goals and disbanded internal positions and teams in the area.
Deloitte came under fire from Trump allies when an employee shared private messages with Vice President J.D. Vance from 2020. In the messages, Vance wrote that Trump “thoroughly failed to deliver” on his economic agenda. The Deloitte employee’s incriminating exchange with Vance came to light in a Washington Post story, causing Trump allies to call for the federal government to punish the consulting company.
“An executive at @Deloitte … decided to interfere in the election & leak private convos with JD Vance to help Kamala Harris,” Donald Trump Jr. wrote on X. “Maybe it’s time for the GOP to end Deloitte’s taxpayer funded gravy train?”
Two days later, the younger Trump asked if Deloitte had commented on an employee “conspiring” with the Washington Post to “help Kamala Harris.”
“We’re not forgetting this,” he wrote in a post shared by Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), who demanded that Deloitte respond to the “outrageous” scandal.
Deloitte began publishing annual DEI Transparency Reports in 2021 and continues to champion its DEI efforts on its website. “We are Deloitte. We are the sum of our identities,” the site says. “We are active in the community and committed to advancing DEI beyond our walls. We team up with organizations that share our commitment to a diverse workforce, dedication to equity, and an inclusive culture.”
Deloitte Insights, a publication that highlights proprietary research, has a page on the value of DEI that says: “A focus on diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace isn’t just a nice idea or a box to check: it’s central to helping organizations achieve better business outcomes. The challenge lies in moving beyond DEI as a corporate value, and instead to DEI as an organizational priority, focus, and strategy.”
Deloitte did not immediately respond to a request for comment.