Verizon vows to scrap DEI

Verizon announced on Friday its decision to scrap all its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs after pressure from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr.

Immediately upon taking office, President Trump signed an executive order prohibiting the federal government from funding institutions that practice “illegal and immoral” DEI, and ordering federal agencies to purge the private sector of the discriminatory practice. Verizon was among some corporations that refused to abandon the ideology and repackaged their programs to avoid scrutiny from the Trump administration.

Verizon official: DEI is ‘alive and well’

On May 14th, Verizon’s Board Finance Committee Chair Mark Bertolini described to attendees at Axios’ inaugural Future of Health Summit how the telecommunications giant has rebranded its DEI, which he boasted was “alive and well.”

“You don’t use certain words, like DEI — bad word,” Bertolini said. “You change the nomenclature that you use — same product, right? I sit on the Verizon board. I chair their finance committee. Our DEI effort is alive and well — it’s just not called that anymore. They’re not employee resource groups, they’re business resource groups. It’s a way to keep going and keep doing what we believe as an organization is important toward the product we deliver to the marketplace . . . You have to be careful about the words you use.”

Bertolini’s remarks came as FCC Commissioner Carr has been warning Verizon about its DEI practices. In February, Carr wrote a letter to the corporation saying he was “concerned by the apparent lack of progress at Verizon” in eliminating DEI.

Verizon quickly announces changes

A day after Bertolini’s comments, Verizon issued a statement announcing the end of DEI at the company.

“Verizon recognizes that some DEI policies and practices could be associated with discrimination,” Verizon Chief Legal Officer Vandana Venkatesh wrote. “Verizon is making these changes to its practices not just in name or in the way they are described, but in substance. These changes are effective immediately.”

Venkatesh emphasized that the company will no longer have teams or roles dedicated to DEI and will modify its training materials to exclude mentions of the ideology. It will also no longer focus on “diversity” metrics when considering corporate sponsorships, and will no longer force its suppliers to observe DEI. The company said it will drop its workforce diversity goals, which included a management compensation plan that disfavored men and White employees.

However, Venkatesh wrote that its employee resource groups (ERGs), a euphemism for voluntary DEI groups, will now be under the oversight of Verizon’s Human Resources department, which will include employees who are being transferred from their official DEI roles. It remains to be seen whether a totalitarian DEI culture will persist, even if not officially sanctioned.

Nevertheless, Commissioner Carr celebrated the announcement.

“Verizon has now agreed to end its DEI policies as specified in a new FCC filing,” he wrote on X. “These changes are effective immediately. A good step forward for equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and the public interest.”

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