Go woke; go broke caused companies to suffer the consequences of bowing down to the left's ideologies. It comes at a time when consumers don’t want the left’s progressive virtue-signaling shoved down their throats when drinking beer, buying clothing or a car, or shopping at a home-improvement store.
Another company recently slashed its DEI initiatives due to backlash from consumers who want to shop for goods without being told they must refer to the blue-haired cashier as “them/them.”
Ford has quietly abandoned their DEI measures after an investigation threatened to expose the companies that hire based on race and gender. Investigator Robby Starbuck has walked back previous initiatives, agreeing to eliminate its DEI measures, beginning with eliminating its financial support for LGBTQ events. The automobile manufacturer will also end diversity quotas at its dealerships nationwide, committing to a “merit-based approach.” The company vows to focus on business rather than woke racial or gender ideologies.
"We are mindful that our employees and customers hold a wide range of beliefs,” Ford CEO Jim Farley wrote in an email. “The external and legal environment related to political and social issues continues to evolve.”
In addition, the automaker announced that it will not participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index, an LGBTQ+ civil-rights group, and “best places to work” surveys this year. It will also open its employee resource groups to all workers, not “use quotas for minority dealerships or suppliers.” The company will hold off publicly commenting on the “many polarizing issues of the day" as well.
As of Wednesday, Ford shares were down 0.5 percent and is down 9.4 percent so far this year.
Starbuck also revealed that Lowes executive vice president Joe McFarland “dictate[s] hiring, bonuses, and sponsorships on whether employees agree to the Corporate Equality Index outlined by the liberal Human Rights Campaign.
However, after Starbuck confronted the home improvement store, the company announced that it would “get rid of its ERG groups that separate people across identity politics lines by what kind of sex they like or what color they are.”
The Tractor Supply Company, Harley Davidson, Polaris, and John Deere also decided to eliminate their DEI initiatives.
It was reported that Bud Light lost more than $1 billion after consumers boycotted the company for hiring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Fifteen percent of loyal Bud Light customers reportedly switched to other brands, with at least 25 percent of its customer base to never return.
According to a survey from Gallup and Bentley University, only 38 percent of Americans believe businesses should coin an public opinion on the matter-- a decline of ten percent since 2022.
If elected, former President Donald Trump has promised to roll back on the Biden Administration’s "woke equity" programs. GOP Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance (R-OH) introduced the "Dismantle DEI Act," which would end federal DEI programs and funding for government agencies and contractors that have such programs.