Berkshire Hathaway Drops DEI Language from Annual Report Amid Broader Corporate Shift
- Berkshire Hathaway’s new annual report cuts references to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Last year’s report detailed hiring practices “intended to identify qualified candidates and promote diversity and inclusion in the workforce.”
- The change aligns with a broader trend among major U.S. companies reducing public DEI commitments.
Berkshire Hathaway’s latest annual report stops short of discussing diversity and inclusion. The report now ends the employee section at “candidates.”
Last year, it noted hiring practices were “intended to identify qualified candidates and promote diversity and inclusion in the workforce.”
The shift comes as the conglomerate, which oversees 189 operating businesses and 392,400 employees, reinforces its decentralized decision-making model. Each business retains autonomy over its own practices.
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Berkshire joins companies like Amazon, Boeing, Citigroup, Ford, McDonald’s, Morgan Stanley, and Walmart in dialing back public DEI support. This trend follows conservative critiques and moves by figures such as former President Donald Trump to curtail federal DEI initiatives.
At last May’s annual meeting, shareholders overwhelmingly rejected (nearly 4-1) a proposal to further disclose DEI efforts—a proposal opposed by the board.
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