Apple shareholders have rejected President Donald Trump's attempt to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative.
As reported by Guardian, the tech-giant has backed the DEI program amid the pressure from Trump administration to join him in the push to limit diversity in workforce.
National Centre for Public Policy Research recently drafted a proposal, urging Apple to follow other high-profile companies that have withdrawn from DEI initiative.
Following a brief presentation about the proposal, Apple revealed that the shareholders had rejected the draft, without disclosing the vote tally.
The outcome highlighted Apple management’s decision to stand behind its diversity hires despite Trump claims that programs like DEI discriminates against employees whose race or gender does not align with the initiatives' goals.
Meanwhile, Apple' CEO, Tim Cook shares friendly relationship with the president since his 2017 term, which also helped the company avoid tariffs on its iPhone made in China.
The tech-giant also announced an investment of $500 billion in US and committed to creating 20,000 more jobs during next five years on Monday, February 24, after Cook and Trump had a meeting last week.
In the pre-recorded presentation, Stefan Padfield, an executive director discouraged Apple’s stance on DEI noting how, "forced diversity is bad for business."
Along with that Padfield also shared that the tech-company’s commitment to diversity could expose it to potential lawsuit for not following court rulings and alleged discrimination.
Cook remained firm in its company decision as he shared that even though they might have to make some adjustment to its diversity program, it would always preserve its culture.
"We will continue to create a culture of belonging," the 64-year-old told shareholders during the meeting.
As per Apple’s 2022 diversity and inclusion report, nearly three-fourths of its global workforce consist of white and Asian employees, and nearly two-thirds of its employees were men.
