Microsoft lays off its DEI team as fired staff complain diversity ideals were 'no longer business-critical'

Microsoft sparked soul revolt aft it fired its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) team, starring nan program's leader to slam nan company's 'changing business needs.' 

The tech giant's move was exposed successful an email obtained by Business Insider, which appears to show nan DEI soul squad leader criticizing nan truth diverseness was 'no longer business critical.'

Microsoft joins a number of tech companies successful stepping backmost DEI commitments that were made successful nan aftermath of nan Black Lives Matter protests successful 2020, including Google, Meta and Zoom.  

It is unclear really galore labor were laid off, and Microsoft did not instantly respond to a petition for remark erstwhile contacted by DailyMail.com. 

In a connection to Business Insider, Microsoft insisted that its 'D&I commitments stay unchanged.' 

But according to nan reported email leak, nan erstwhile DEI squad leader felt nan institution had softly fixed up connected nan DEI initiatives it pushed during nan BLM protests. 

This included spending $150 cardinal connected DEI programs, and mandating training connected group allyship and privilege for each non-Black employees.

CEO Satya Nadella previously insisted such moves would not beryllium a 'one-time event.' 

However, nan email reportedly scathed really successful nan clip since, 'true systems-change activity associated pinch DEI programs everyplace are nary longer business captious aliases smart arsenic they were successful 2020.' 

It comes amid further questions complete nan company's promise successful 2020 to double nan number of Black leaders it employs astatine nan apical of nan institution by 2025. 

Microsoft's advancement connected this committedness appears to beryllium unclear, and nan institution did not instantly respond to a petition for an update. 

In a connection aft nan email was exposed, Microsoft spokesperson Jeff Jones said nan company's commitments 'remain unchanged', and insisted its activity connected nan rumor will 'hold firm.' 

'Our attraction connected diverseness and inclusion is unwavering and we are holding patient connected our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to attraction connected this work,' he said. 

The connection did not mention nan reportedly fired employees, though they travel astatine a clip erstwhile nan tech elephantine routinely culls its workforce erstwhile nan fiscal twelvemonth comes to an end. 

Last year, Microsoft announced plans to occurrence 10,000 staffers successful a mass-sacking, joining a number of rivals arsenic 'tech wreck' swept Silicon Valley. 

Like different tech giants, Microsoft hired a ample number of caller unit during nan pandemic arsenic its profits soared. 

But successful nan first months of 2023, nan winds shifted arsenic brands looked to prevention their bottommost lines - pinch Microsoft continuing to rotation retired further rounds of layoffs since. 

Mass layoffs besides deed a number of Microsoft's competitors, pinch Amazon announcing plans astir nan aforesaid clip to sack 18,000 employees. 

In March 2023, Meta announced it would trim astir 10,000 jobs and cease recruiting successful 5,000 positions it was trying to fill, portion of a larger effort to trim 13 percent of its full workforce. 

The astir high-profile information of cuts, however, came astatine Twitter, aft billionaire Elon Musk bought nan institution for $44 cardinal earlier turning it into X. 

Musk brutally trim 50 percent of nan full company's workforce, taking its full unit count to less than 2,000 people.