Major Companies Abandon ‘Excessive’ DEI Programs Amid Growing Criticism
‘XX-XY Athletics’ founder Jennifer Sey on why major brands are backing away from diversity-branded programs.
The second Trump administration has seen a significant backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within American corporations. This shift is welcomed by XX-XY Athletics CEO Jennifer Sey, who describes these initiatives as “excessive.”
“An excessive focus on DEI, whether through hiring practices or public marketing, can adversely affect a company’s performance,” Sey stated in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“It’s not fashionable anymore… [Companies] are responding to both Trump and the administration and their push and the executive orders, but they’re also responding to the public and where popular opinion is, and people are rejecting these DEI programs,” she elaborated.
Gravity Research reported in November that the term ‘DEI’ saw a staggering 98% decline across Fortune 100 communications. This analysis covered over 1,000 corporate documents from January 2023 to May 2025.
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XX-XY Athletics CEO, Jennifer Sey, calls out “excessive” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across companies in America that were eliminated under President Trump’s second term. (Christian Alminana/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Executive teams are happy to abandon these programs. They’re a distraction from the business,” Sey added. “It’s all the training around diversity that people have to go through. It’s the interview process that focuses on anything other than just straight-up merit. It’s a distraction from the business. And at the end of the day, the values that the executive teams and the CEOs do have to make money for the company… That’s their fiduciary responsibility.”
“When they’ve got employees training all day about diversity, they’re not focused on making [a] great product and marketing that product. So, I think [companies are] actually relieved to de-emphasize all of this and walk away from it,” she concluded.
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The beginning of the second Trump administration marked the end of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across companies in America – a hiring practice that this CEO called out as “excessive.” (Getty Stock Images / Getty Images)
Upon taking office again, President Donald Trump signed executive order 14173, titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This order mandated that heads of all executive departments and agencies “combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.”
According to Gravity Research, 40 corporations “made public DEI changes” following Trump’s second inauguration. Additionally, The Conference Board found that the use of the “DEI” acronym among America’s largest firms dropped by 68% in 2025 compared to 2024 filings.
Interestingly, “33% [of companies] stopped using the term equity altogether,” while “53% of S&P 100 companies” modified how DEI efforts were communicated in their 2025 annual report filings compared to 2024.
This shift does not necessarily indicate a complete abandonment of DEI initiatives, but rather a trend towards “limiting or reframing public disclosures around their diversity initiatives.”
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President Donald Trump pointing at a rally. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Reflecting on the Bud Light marketing misstep involving transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Sey noted that the company’s attempt to leverage “wokeness as a marketing strategy” backfired significantly.
“It backfired immensely,” Sey remarked.
In recent years, Bud Light has shifted back to more traditional, humorous advertisements aimed at a male audience, such as its Super Bowl ad featuring Peyton Manning, Post Malone, and Shane Gillis.
Sey emphasized, “If you want to be woke and that’s your target audience, that’s fine. But if you’re appealing to a more conservative customer base, you can build a successful business on that. Major brands like Target and Bud Light should focus on product quality and unifying values rather than succumbing to cultural whims,” she added.
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A Target employee pulls red shopping carts into a store in New Mexico. (iStock / iStock)
“[People] want optimism, they want unifying, optimistic values expressed in the brands that they’re buying,” the athletic brand builder concluded.
She asserted that businesses should focus on hiring the best talent to “deliver the best results.”
Target and Anheuser-Busch did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
‘XX-XY Athletics’ founder Jennifer Sey on why major brands are backing away from diversity-branded programs.
The second Trump administration has seen a significant backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs within American corporations. This shift is welcomed by XX-XY Athletics CEO Jennifer Sey, who describes these initiatives as “excessive.”
“An excessive focus on DEI, whether through hiring practices or public marketing, can adversely affect a company’s performance,” Sey stated in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“It’s not fashionable anymore… [Companies] are responding to both Trump and the administration and their push and the executive orders, but they’re also responding to the public and where popular opinion is, and people are rejecting these DEI programs,” she elaborated.
Gravity Research reported in November that the term ‘DEI’ saw a staggering 98% decline across Fortune 100 communications. This analysis covered over 1,000 corporate documents from January 2023 to May 2025.
NIKE’S DIVERSITY INITIATIVES UNDER EEOC SCRUTINY FOR ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WHITE WORKERS
XX-XY Athletics CEO, Jennifer Sey, calls out “excessive” diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across companies in America that were eliminated under President Trump’s second term. (Christian Alminana/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Executive teams are happy to abandon these programs. They’re a distraction from the business,” Sey added. “It’s all the training around diversity that people have to go through. It’s the interview process that focuses on anything other than just straight-up merit. It’s a distraction from the business. And at the end of the day, the values that the executive teams and the CEOs do have to make money for the company… That’s their fiduciary responsibility.”
“When they’ve got employees training all day about diversity, they’re not focused on making [a] great product and marketing that product. So, I think [companies are] actually relieved to de-emphasize all of this and walk away from it,” she concluded.
WENDY’S TO CLOSE HUNDREDS OF RESTAURANTS AS COMPANY LOOKS TO FOCUS ON VALUE TO BOOST SALES
The beginning of the second Trump administration marked the end of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across companies in America – a hiring practice that this CEO called out as “excessive.” (Getty Stock Images / Getty Images)
Upon taking office again, President Donald Trump signed executive order 14173, titled “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” This order mandated that heads of all executive departments and agencies “combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.”
According to Gravity Research, 40 corporations “made public DEI changes” following Trump’s second inauguration. Additionally, The Conference Board found that the use of the “DEI” acronym among America’s largest firms dropped by 68% in 2025 compared to 2024 filings.
Interestingly, “33% [of companies] stopped using the term equity altogether,” while “53% of S&P 100 companies” modified how DEI efforts were communicated in their 2025 annual report filings compared to 2024.
This shift does not necessarily indicate a complete abandonment of DEI initiatives, but rather a trend towards “limiting or reframing public disclosures around their diversity initiatives.”
SUPER BOWL ADS GO PATRIOTIC AS BUDWEISER, PEPSI AIM TO WIN BACK AMERICAN CONSUMERS
President Donald Trump pointing at a rally. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Reflecting on the Bud Light marketing misstep involving transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Sey noted that the company’s attempt to leverage “wokeness as a marketing strategy” backfired significantly.
“It backfired immensely,” Sey remarked.
In recent years, Bud Light has shifted back to more traditional, humorous advertisements aimed at a male audience, such as its Super Bowl ad featuring Peyton Manning, Post Malone, and Shane Gillis.
Sey emphasized, “If you want to be woke and that’s your target audience, that’s fine. But if you’re appealing to a more conservative customer base, you can build a successful business on that. Major brands like Target and Bud Light should focus on product quality and unifying values rather than succumbing to cultural whims,” she added.
TARGET CUTS 500 JOBS, INVESTS MORE MONEY IN STORE STAFFING
A Target employee pulls red shopping carts into a store in New Mexico. (iStock / iStock)
“[People] want optimism, they want unifying, optimistic values expressed in the brands that they’re buying,” the athletic brand builder concluded.
She asserted that businesses should focus on hiring the best talent to “deliver the best results.”
Target and Anheuser-Busch did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
