Apple fights back against shareholders who want to end DEI hiring

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Ahead of its annual shareholders meeting, Apple has asked investors to vote against a proposal that the company should abandon its diversity hiring practices.

Aerial view of Apple Park
Apple Park



Apple's 2025 shareholders' meeting is on February 25, and as ever will be a mix of regular business and accounting issues, plus proposals by the various shareholders. These proposals have proved controversial before, even Apple usually gets the votes it wants, but this time a topic will be DEI.

As firms including Meta scale back or abandon their Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) hiring, Apple says that it wants to continue. According to BBC News, shareholders in the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR) say that DEI policies expose firms to "litigation, reputational and financial risks."

However, in a note to investors, Apple says that its board recommends voting against the proposal.

"At Apple, we believe that how we conduct ourselves is as critical to Apple's success as making the best products in the world," it says. "And we strive to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best work."

Addressing the issues over potential litigation, the note says that it is unnecessary to close its DEI policies "as Apple already has a well-established compliance program."

Apple further claims that this proposal "inappropriately attempts to restrict" the company and in particular over how it is "is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, or promoting on any basis protected by law."

It's not a surprise that Apple shareholders would propose this, as Big Tech firms are moving against DEI, in what's seen as an attempt to gain favor with president-elect Trump. However, for a note to investors that mostly concentrates on regular corporate issues such as the appointment of accounting firms, Apple is forceful in pushing back against the idea.

While the subject is different, the tone of Apple's response is reminiscent of how in 2014, Tim Cook reacted to another proposal by the NCPPR. The group wanted Apple to justify its environmental and accessibility practices, with the idea that they were too expensive for their return on investment (ROI).

"When I think about making our products accessible for the people that can't see or to help a kid with autism," responded Cook, "I don't think about a bloody ROI."



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 72
    You can thank Tim Cook’s “donation” to the inauguration for shareholders being extra emboldened. 
    david | dahoveedSmittyWblastdoorgrandact73sphericdewmesconosciuto
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  • Reply 2 of 72
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,778member
    Some days, it feels like I'm watching humanity slowly devolve before my eyes. Good for Apple for taking a stand against dark ages thinking. Great potential comes in all colours, genders, and sexual orientations. No matter what those who operate solely on fear say.
    edited January 13
    XedGraeme000kurai_kagedavid | dahoveedSmittyWSpitbathgrandact73ronnOctoMonkeyentropys
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  • Reply 3 of 72
    hodarhodar Posts: 372member
    Who said that LGBTQ or minorities cannot be qualified?  How about hiring the brightest, the best and most talented without regard to their skin color, their plumbing or things that have absolutely nothing to do with things unrelated to the job?  Hire by merit, that's how Apple got out of the garage.
    marklarkSmittyWSpitbathgrandact73ronnOctoMonkeyelijahgentropysForumPostCalvinator
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  • Reply 4 of 72
    AppleZuluapplezulu Posts: 2,273member
    hodar said:
    Who said that LGBTQ or minorities cannot be qualified?  How about hiring the brightest, the best and most talented without regard to their skin color, their plumbing or things that have absolutely nothing to do with things unrelated to the job?  Hire by merit, that's how Apple got out of the garage.
    Funny how “merit” wasn’t important when systematically refusing to hire certain genders and ethnicities was de rigeur. There was no meritocracy then. Now, as soon as anyone talks about systematically extending opportunities to the same people who were previously systematically excluded, we hear how there must be a meritocracy. There’s not much merit in that. 
    JanNL602warrentyler82auxiokurai_kagedavid | dahoveedroundaboutnowmarklarkgatorguymuthuk_vanalingam
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  • Reply 5 of 72
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,114member
    hodar said:
    Who said that LGBTQ or minorities cannot be qualified?  How about hiring the brightest, the best and most talented without regard to their skin color, their plumbing or things that have absolutely nothing to do with things unrelated to the job?  Hire by merit, that's how Apple got out of the garage.
    Exactly. Everyone is capable. No demographic or identity is better than any other. Diverse companies and nations prosper more than monolithic ones.
    edited January 13
    timpetusSpitbathgrandact73ronnelijahggodofbiscuitssfForumPostCalvinatormaasjradarthekat
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  • Reply 6 of 72
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,778member
    hodar said:
    Who said that LGBTQ or minorities cannot be qualified?  How about hiring the brightest, the best and most talented without regard to their skin color, their plumbing or things that have absolutely nothing to do with things unrelated to the job?  Hire by merit, that's how Apple got out of the garage.
    The problem is that if there are never role models or opportunities from the get go, then that potential will never be realized, even if a child is born with it. Study history and think a bit. African Americans didn't even have civil rights until the late 1960s (i.e. were pretty much reliant on white people for any chance in America). Same with women being reliant on men since they didn't have civil rights either. And think about how many LGBTQ people had to hide who they were from society in order to have opportunities (never mind if they were someone of color, which you can't hide). Discrimination happens whether it's written in laws or not.

    By having companies publicly declare "yes, we hire marginalized people", and hopefully even investing in education and business opportunities, it creates an attainable path to success for those people. It's not just about hoping they get to that point at the time of hiring.
    edited January 13
    AppleZulukurai_kagedavid | dahoveedtyler82gatorguySpitbathmuthuk_vanalingamkiltedgreenronntiredskills
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  • Reply 7 of 72
    AppleZuluapplezulu Posts: 2,273member
    auxio said:
    hodar said:
    Who said that LGBTQ or minorities cannot be qualified?  How about hiring the brightest, the best and most talented without regard to their skin color, their plumbing or things that have absolutely nothing to do with things unrelated to the job?  Hire by merit, that's how Apple got out of the garage.
    The problem is that if there are never role models or opportunities from the get go, then that potential will never be realized, even if a child is born with it. Study history and think a bit. African Americans didn't even have civil rights until the late 1960s (i.e. were pretty much reliant on white people for any chance in America). Same with women being reliant on men since they didn't have civil rights either. And think about how many LGBTQ people had to hide who they were from society in order to have opportunities (never mind if they were someone of color, which you can't hide). Discrimination happens whether it's written in laws or not.

    By having companies publicly declare "yes, we hire marginalized people", and hopefully even investing in education and business opportunities, it creates an attainable path to success for those people. It's not just about hoping they get to that point at the time of hiring.
    Precisely. The anti-DEI “meritocracy” crowd likes to pretend they’re being noble and quote MLK’s “content of their character” line from the 1963 March on Washington out of context, misinterpreting King to mean we should simply declare there to be a meritocracy and there will be one. 

    If they listened to the whole speech, they’d find out that MLK’s message was that his “dream” was like the aspirational goal of a business plan, and in the rest of the speech, King was telling us (like in any good business plan) about all the hard work we must commit to and then actually do before we can ever come close to achieving that goal. 

    The hard work in this context involves starting before previously excluded people are even born and clearing the path for them to have unhindered access to the same encouragement and opportunities as anyone else. For those who have already started on their path through life and have been excluded, discouraged from, and steered away from opportunity, the hard work means recognizing how those obstacles have already undermined their position in any imagined meritocracy and then intentionally doing things to correct for that. 

    The civil rights acts passed six decades ago declared ‘ok now, let’s quit discriminating against these excluded minorities.’ Since then, at every turn the same disingenuous, passive-aggressive arguments and tactics have been trotted out to resist doing the hard work King told us we’d have to do in order to reach that meritocracy he described. 

    Now here we are again, sixty years on, with people insisting we mustn’t do the work, but should instead declare the mission accomplished while ignoring all evidence to the contrary. The purpose of these tactics is transparent. It is to continue the systematic exclusion of those who have historically faced obstacles at every turn, while handing out participation trophies to the folks who haven’t been repeatedly kneecapped and assuring them they earned their spot on merit, just like their forefathers before them. 
    marklarktimpetusSpitbathmuthuk_vanalingamgrandact73kiltedgreenSmittyWronntiredskillsForumPost
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  • Reply 8 of 72
    DEI is not the problem at Apple.  There is too much slacking off and lack of productivity.  Work from home needs to be abolished and bring in everybody five days a week.  
    marklarkSpitbathgrandact73ronnOctoMonkeytiredskillsradarthekatjeffharrisDibiasesconosciuto
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  • Reply 9 of 72
    DEI is not the problem at Apple.  There is too much slacking off and lack of productivity.  Work from home needs to be abolished and bring in everybody five days a week.  
    Asses in seats is just lazy managerial style.  
    muthuk_vanalingamgrandact73ronnhodartiredskillsmattinozsconosciutobyronl
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  • Reply 10 of 72

    hodar said:
    Who said that LGBTQ or minorities cannot be qualified?  How about hiring the brightest, the best and most talented without regard to their skin color, their plumbing or things that have absolutely nothing to do with things unrelated to the job?  Hire by merit, that's how Apple got out of the garage.
    Look at that.  You’re pro-DEI. 
    tyler82SmittyWCesar Battistini MazierotiredskillsCalvinatormaasjsconosciutobyronl
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  • Reply 11 of 72
    There is too much slacking off and lack of productivity. 
    Proof?
    ronnsconosciutomacguiwilliamlondonbyronl
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  • Reply 12 of 72
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,671member
    You can thank Tim Cook’s “donation” to the inauguration for shareholders being extra emboldened. 
    More likely — you can thank Cook’s personal donation for giving Apple the space to stick with their DEI policy. Trump cares more about personal respect/loyalty/approval than about policy. I bet Trump values cooks contribution more because it came from him personally rather than from Apple. And having shown that personal respect, Cook will likely get more of a free pass on how he runs apple. 
    Cesar Battistini Mazieroradarthekatsconosciutobyronl
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  • Reply 13 of 72
    AppleZulu said:
    hodar said:
    Who said that LGBTQ or minorities cannot be qualified?  How about hiring the brightest, the best and most talented without regard to their skin color, their plumbing or things that have absolutely nothing to do with things unrelated to the job?  Hire by merit, that's how Apple got out of the garage.
    Funny how “merit” wasn’t important when systematically refusing to hire certain genders and ethnicities was de rigeur. There was no meritocracy then. Now, as soon as anyone talks about systematically extending opportunities to the same people who were previously systematically excluded, we hear how there must be a meritocracy. There’s not much merit in that. 
    Agreed. The way to fight hate, is with more hate!
    muthuk_vanalingamronnhodarCesar Battistini MazieroAppleZuluentropysmaasjsconosciuto
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  • Reply 14 of 72
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 7,018member
    Given the issues that Apple has had with iPhone imaging and Apple Watch metrics working correctly for people of color, one could argue that Apple needs a lot more DEI, not less.
    SmittyWronnOctoMonkeytiredskillsgodofbiscuitssfmaasjgrandact73sconosciuto
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  • Reply 15 of 72
    Given the issues that Apple has had with iPhone imaging and Apple Watch metrics working correctly for people of color, one could argue that Apple needs a lot more DEI, not less.
    I believe your quarrel is with physics, which is notoriously resistant to DEI influence. More work needs to be done here, physics can't keep getting away with this!
    muthuk_vanalingamronnhodartiredskillsentropysgodofbiscuitssfmaasjradarthekatgrandact73sconosciuto
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  • Reply 16 of 72
    I hope the shareholders win the battle.

    We need the strongest employee to be on the best position.

    Not the medium diversity hire that if not for diversity policies would NOT be the best qualified.
    jvm156OctoMonkeytiredskillsCalvinatormaasjhodarsconosciuto
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  • Reply 17 of 72


    hodar said:
    Who said that LGBTQ or minorities cannot be qualified?  How about hiring the brightest, the best and most talented without regard to their skin color, their plumbing or things that have absolutely nothing to do with things unrelated to the job?  Hire by merit, that's how Apple got out of the garage.
    Look at that.  You’re pro-DEI. 
    You know that is not how DEI laws (And DEI supporting HR workers) do things......
    maasjhodarsconosciutowilliamlondon
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  • Reply 18 of 72
    auxio said:
    Some days, it feels like I'm watching humanity slowly devolve before my eyes. Good for Apple for taking a stand against dark ages thinking. Great potential comes in all colours, genders, and sexual orientations. No matter what those who operate solely on fear say.
    so forcing companies to hire not on merit, but on their minority status is a good thing? ugh
    tiredskillsronnmaasjmuthuk_vanalingamhodargrandact73sconosciutopaisleydisco
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  • Reply 19 of 72
    There is too much slacking off and lack of productivity. 
    Proof?
    Just look at the notch still after several  years on Macbook Pro.   My Dell XPS 14 does not have that and it even incorporates Face ID.  No other manufacturer has such a mess.
    tiredskillsronnmaasjsconosciutobyronl
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  • Reply 20 of 72
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,778member
    jvm156 said:
    auxio said:
    Some days, it feels like I'm watching humanity slowly devolve before my eyes. Good for Apple for taking a stand against dark ages thinking. Great potential comes in all colours, genders, and sexual orientations. No matter what those who operate solely on fear say.
    so forcing companies to hire not on merit, but on their minority status is a good thing? ugh
    Maybe read my next post to understand the topic a bit deeper than: "y u no hire da best person 4 da job?"
    edited January 13
    tiredskillsronnradarthekatsconosciutomacgui
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