By Dawn Chmielewski and Harshita Mary Varghese
(Reuters) -Walt Disney is changing its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to focus more closely on business outcomes, according to a memo seen by Reuters.
The media giant joins several of the largest businesses in the U.S. responding to the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle DEI initiatives.
Disney’s 2024 annual report, published in September, removed mentions of its “Reimagine Tomorrow” program, an online space for “amplifying underrepresented voices” that featured some of Disney’s diversity, equality and inclusion commitments and actions.
The memo from Disney’s chief human resources officer, Sonia Coleman, notes the “Reimagine Tomorrow” site will be rebranded as “MyDisneyToday.” It will focus on how well the company attracts top talent, champions a culture where everyone belongs, creates and supports underserved communities.
“We create entertainment that appeals to a global audience,” wrote Coleman. “And having a workforce that reflects the consumers we serve helps drive our business.”
The criteria used to evaluate executive compensation also will change, Coleman wrote, to add a performance factor called “talent strategy,” in place of the former diversity and inclusion factor. It will weigh how well leaders advance Disney’s values, among other factors.
“While this will continue to evolve, what won’t change is our commitment to fostering a company where everyone belongs,” Coleman wrote.
Disney’s executive compensation is weighted 70% on achieving financial performance targets, and 30% against other performance factors, according to its most recent proxy filing.
Axios was the first to report details of the memo.
Disney has come under attack from conservatives who objected to casting racially diverse and gay characters in its movies. Stephen Miller’s America First Legal group last year sent Disney’s board of directors a letter, asserting that Disney’s efforts to boost diversity and inclusion had harmed the company’s stock. Miller now serves as White House deputy chief of staff for policy.
The company also became embroiled in a bitter feud with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over a state law limiting classroom discussion of sexuality and gender, which critics brand as the “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Amazon.com removed a reference to “inclusion and diversity” in its annual report filed last week, after it told employees in a December memo that it was winding down its programs as part of corporate America’s broader retreat from such policies.
(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles and Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona, Richard Chang and Marguerita Choy)
