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 factor called “talent strategy,” which evaluates how well leaders advance Disney’s values. It replaces the objective of increasing the diversity and inclusion of executives and managers to “reflect the guests and audiences.”
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 object to casting racially diverse and gay characters in its movies.
America First Legal, founded by U.S. President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, sent Disney’s board of directors a letter asserting that Disney’s efforts to boost diversity and inclusion had harmed the company’s stock.
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, Marguerita Choy and Richard Chang)
