Companies that kept policies did just as well financially, even after Trump’s executive order, as those that didn’t
Conservative backlash was supposed to put an end to the diversity, inclusion and equity (DEI) movement as companies were warned “go woke, go broke”.
In January 2025, Donald Trump delivered a death knell, ending DEI within the federal government with executive orders and threatening to target companies that still supported it. Companies including Google, Goldman Sachs, McDonald’s and Walmart that had embraced DEI years earlier fell into line and announced an end to their policies.
But new research published on Friday and shared exclusively with the Guardian found that companies that resisted the pressure and kept their DEI practices, including Costco, Apple and Delta Air Lines, performed just as well as their competitors who pulled back.



I feel like that’s the case for a lot of them. The top level are publicly saying they are scrapping policies, but it’s still actually being observed in the lower levels. Like there’s a gap between what the executives are saying and what the actual people managing the company are doing.
Fujitsu America actually doubled down on DEI stuff after Trump was elected.