Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropic organization, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), has recently reversed its stance on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. CZI has announced the elimination of its internal DEI programs and the cessation of “social advocacy funding” for racial equity and immigration reform.
This decision follows concerns raised by Meta employees, who questioned CZI’s commitment to DEI after Meta eliminated its own DEI programs. However, CZI initially assured staff that its operations would remain unaffected.
In an email to employees, CZI Chief Operating Officer Marc Malandro stated that the organization will discontinue its DEI team and redirect its resources towards grants in biology and artificial intelligence (AI). The Science Diversity Leadership Awards and the Diverse Slate Practice, which promoted the inclusion of diverse candidates in hiring, have also been discontinued.
Malandro emphasized that this shift aligns with CZI’s primary mission as a science-focused organization. “Given the shifting regulatory and legal landscape, we will no longer have a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility team at CZI,” he wrote.
CZI has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the changes to its DEI efforts.
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