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“DEI is dead.”
At least that’s what the headlines scream.
I spent the last few weeks reading the public statements, leaked internal memos, and listed changes from the organizations that are reportedly rolling back their DEI programs — corporate giants like McDonald’s, Meta, and Amazon — and what I found was a mismatch. These corporations aren’t actually dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives outright. They’re doing something more disingenuous, using, instead, an old-fashioned corporate sleight of hand: rebranding.
Their statements indicate that they are, largely, keeping the DEI practices they’ve come to rely on for business success intact. Initiatives like supplier diversity, recruiting diverse talent into their ranks, and programs aimed at fostering belonging—DEI—will remain, though, perhaps, cloaked with a new name.
On the surface, this sleigh of hand might seem smart — avoid a Fox News backlash cycle while quietly continuing to do the work.
But I think the risks of these fake rollbacks may outweigh their potential benefits.
The issue isn’t just that business leaders are carrying out symbolic DEI rollbacks to appease Trump and the MAGA mob. It’s that by feigning submission to Trump and his base, these companies may be helping to legitimize Trump’s dictatorial inclinations. They are reinforcing the illusion of Trump’s power, effectively granting him authority he doesn’t actually have. They are doing the work of manufacturing public consent for the executive overreach Trump dreams of getting away with.
In his book On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder warns against this exact kind of thing, calling it “anticipatory obedience.” In authoritarian regimes, Snyder warns, citizens (and more importantly, institutions) begin to conform to an expected order before they’re forced to. They restrict themselves, bend their practices, and adjust their language to align with what they assume the authoritarian leader will approve of, often before the authoritarian even demands it.
What could be seen as a savvy, strategic, business move by business leaders, may be helping to legitimize Trump’s worst inclinations.
Snyder reminder readers that “[adapting] in this way is teaching power what itcan do.” As such, the solution is simple: stop pretending Trump is more powerful than he actually is. Call his bluff. Do not obey in advance.
