The BBC is reporting that Apple’s board has asked its investors to vote against a proposal to end its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, DEI, programmes.
It comes after a conservative group, the National Center for Public Policy Research, NCPPR, called on the technology giant to abolish its DEI policies, saying they expose firms to “litigation, reputational and financial risks”.
Apple’s directors say the NCPPR’s proposal is unnecessary because the company has appropriate checks and balances in place.
Other major US firms, including Meta and Amazon, have rolled back DEI programmes ahead of the return to the White House this month of Donald Trump, who has been highly critical of DEI policies.
The firm’s filing to investors said the proposal is unnecessary as Apple already has a well-established compliance programme.
Apple’s board also said the DEI rollback plan inappropriately seeks to micromanage the company’s programmes and policies by suggesting a specific means of legal compliance.
NCPPR’s proposal is set to be put to a vote by shareholders at Apple’s annual general meeting on February 25.
