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In
a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the
company will no longer set goals for minority representation in
its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also
align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote
business growth, he said.
Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo,
whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos,
Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based
company’s chief diversity officer will transition to a broader
role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and
ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last
month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have
rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the
goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority
groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.
Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has
warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.
PepsiCo’s rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its
DEI efforts.
In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its
business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract
employees that reflect its broad range of customers.
“Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters
innovation, collaboration and inclusion … could disrupt our
operations and adversely affect our business and our future
success,” the company said.
Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior
leadership roles by 2030. Coke has also said that it wants race
and ethnicity representation that reflects national census data
at all levels of the company in the U.S.
Robby Starbuck, a conservative activist who targets corporate
DEI programs, applauded PepsiCo's actions on Friday. In a post
on X, Starbuck said Coca-Cola “should be very nervous about
continuing with their woke policies.”
PepsiCo joins a long list of companies that have reigned in
diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the wake of Trump's
election victory and before that, a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court
ruling that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.
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