BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is abandoning its diversity quotas and merging its DEI staff into a new team amid shifting political and legal landscapes.
Even the wokest of the woke are waking up to reality, it seems.
At a Glance
- BlackRock Inc. has officially ended its “aspirational workforce representation” objectives
- The company will merge DEI staff with talent management into a new “Talent and Culture” group
- Hiring managers will no longer be required to interview diverse candidate slates
- The company is dropping DEI metrics from its annual report, following similar moves by McDonald’s, Ford, and Walmart
- Changes follow President Trump’s Executive Order instructing federal agencies to investigate corporate DEI programs
BlackRock’s Major DEI Reversal
BlackRock Inc., managing assets worth trillions and employing 21,000 people globally, is significantly scaling back its diversity initiatives that liberals have championed for years.
The financial powerhouse announced it will no longer maintain specific targets for increasing employee representation among underrepresented groups, effectively ending what the company previously called its “aspirational workforce representation” objectives.
BlackRock scrapped its “aspirational workforce representation” objectives, reversing course on earlier goals after President Donald Trump moved to end DEI practices https://t.co/9mxzw4Znyf
— Businessweek (@BW) February 28, 2025
The dramatic policy shift means hiring managers will no longer face requirements to interview diverse candidate slates, a practice that conservatives have long criticized as potentially leading to reverse discrimination. Instead, BlackRock is combining its Talent Management and DEI teams into a newly formed global “Talent and Culture” team, co-led by executives Nick Avery and Michelle Gadsden-Williams.
BlackRock’s announcement comes at a time when DEI initiatives face intensifying scrutiny across corporate America. The decision appears to be a direct response to significant changes in the U.S. legal and policy environment surrounding diversity programs, particularly following President Trump’s Executive Order directing federal agencies to investigate corporate DEI programs for possible civil rights violations.
The company’s new direction mirrors similar moves by other major corporations like McDonald’s, Ford, and Walmart, which have also recently withdrawn from explicit DEI commitments in their corporate reporting. In its most recent annual report, BlackRock has already quietly removed gender and racial demographics that were prominently featured in previous years, replacing them with only a geographic breakdown of its workforce.
Culture Remains “Proudly BlackRock”
Despite the significant policy changes, BlackRock insists it remains committed to an inclusive workplace culture, claiming that its corporate environment is a “competitive advantage” and will continue to be “proudly BlackRock.” The company says it won’t renew its workforce representation goals expiring in 2024 but will maintain employee networks that currently engage over 90% of staff members.
The restructuring represents a significant victory for conservatives who have long criticized BlackRock’s aggressive promotion of progressive social policies. The financial giant has previously faced intense backlash from Republican lawmakers and state officials who have accused the company of pushing a left-wing agenda through its investment decisions and corporate practices, sacrificing returns for political aims.
Is the world going back to normal?
