Robby Starbuck’s Strategy for Encouraging Companies to Move Away from DEI Initiatives

President Donald Trump terminated federal DEI programs.

Even prior to that, many companies were reconsidering their positions.

Victoria’s Secret rebranded “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” to “inclusion and belonging.”

Now, even the seemingly progressive Disney, after wasting 270 million shareholder dollars on a misguided version of “Snow White,” has joined the trend of companies eliminating DEI initiatives.

Why is this happening? Concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion appear appealing.

However, the issue lies in how DEI programs have often been co-opted by activists fixated on victimhood. Instead of empowering, they tend to create more divisions among people.

As activist Robby Starbuck puts it, “Diversity, equity, and inclusion don’t mean what they claim to mean.”

Before Trump’s executive order ended federal DEI programs, Starbuck was able to eliminate similar initiatives at various companies simply by leveraging his voice.

His approach? Inform companies that he would expose any foolish actions they took to his followers on social media.

Surprisingly, this tactic proved effective!

After he critiqued John Deere on Twitter for promoting “preferred pronouns” and conducting woke diversity trainings, John Deere swiftly abandoned those policies.

Companies like Toyota, Target, and Harley Davidson followed suit.

“What made them listen to you?” I inquire.

“We approach them like any other journalist, saying, ‘Hey, we’re working on a story.’”

If they refuse to amend their policies, he publicly shares their practices and his critiques across platforms like YouTube and Twitter.

Just one week after he pointed out that Toyota sponsored pride parades and segregated employees into identity-based groups like LGBT, black, and Christian, Toyota ceased sponsoring LGBTQ events and opened employee groups to everyone.

Coors had been offering DEI training and donating to pride events, but a simple inquiry from Starbuck led them to stop.

Jack Daniels, McDonald’s, Walmart, AT&T, Lowe’s, and Ford followed their lead.

“I appreciate diversity,” I convey, arguing that DEI programs have merit.

“They may sound warm and fuzzy,” Starbuck responds, “which is why they initially received widespread support. Everyone wants to be inclusive and kind. However, in reality, they have often manifested in crazy trainings and overtly discriminatory hiring practices, which contradict the very friendly intentions behind the terms.”

I believe private companies should have the autonomy to implement whatever policies they choose. Customers and employees always have the option to seek alternatives.

However, in recent years, DEI mandates have proliferated to such an extent that evading them has become nearly impossible.

As a Chase Bank customer, I find the bank is managed by highly capable Jamie Dimon.

Just last year, Dimon stated that DEI is “good for business; it’s morally right; we’re quite proficient at it.”

However, after Starbuck exposed JPMorgan’s policies, Dimon had a change of heart.

“I realized how much money we were wasting on some of this nonsense,” Dimon remarked, “and it really upset me… I’m canceling everything. I dislike wasting money on bureaucracy.”

Throughout my years of reporting, I’ve never witnessed changes occur this swiftly.

DEI proponents are understandably frustrated.

The president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation declared, “We will not be erased!”

“What was in place before DEI?” Starbuck counters. “Did black individuals not exist prior to that?”

On “The View,” host Sunny Hostin asserts, “This will specifically harm women… African Americans and Latinos.”

“What she’s actually suggesting is that if merit is the sole criterion, minorities will struggle to find employment. That mindset, in my opinion, is a form of racism,” responds Starbuck. “She is perpetuating racism.”

I push back, stating, “They are merely acknowledging, ‘We have a history of disadvantage. We were enslaved in this country.’”

“None of them experienced it,” he points out. “I’m Cuban. I could claim my family faced adversity, but I didn’t experience it. I won’t assume their disadvantages as my own.”

“We’re not falling for the same foolishness anymore. We will judge individuals based on merit.”

John Stossel is the author of “Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media.”