Corporate America ditched DEI. What happened to the employees?

Summary

Consider This from NPR

Episode: Corporate America ditched DEI. What happened to the employees?
Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Juana Summers
Reporter: Maria Aspen

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Overview

This episode explores the dramatic rise and rapid retreat of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Corporate America. Following the 2020 racial justice protests, companies rushed to embrace DEI, hiring thousands of specialists. But in the years since, a conservative backlash, high-profile corporate controversies, and federal executive orders have led to a widespread slashing of DEI jobs. The episode centers on Candice Birdsong Williams, a veteran DEI executive whose life and career were upended by this reversal, examining the human toll of Corporate America’s shifting stance.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Rise of DEI in Corporate America

• Post-George Floyd Reckoning:

  • In the wake of George Floyd's murder and the national protests, corporations across the U.S. pledged to fight workplace discrimination and dramatically expanded DEI departments.
  • Juana Summers: “Corporate America rushed to join in, promising to fight discrimination and increase opportunities for workers of all backgrounds.” (00:12)

• Boom in DEI Hiring:

  • By early 2023, more than 20,000 professionals were employed in DEI-focused roles.
  • Candice Birdsong Williams: “My inbox was completely on fire, completely on fire.” (00:45, 05:34)

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The Backlash and Policy Reversals

• Mounting Conservative Pushback:

  • Conservative influencers, politicians, and legal challenges began targeting DEI, arguing it discriminated, particularly against white men.
  • Robby Starbuck (right-wing influencer): “We do believe in fairness...the workplace in corporate America has gotten way too partisan, way too divisive. We need to remove this stuff from corporate America.” (05:52)

• Legal and Cultural Setbacks:

  • The Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in higher education.
  • Brands like Bud Light faced conservative boycotts over inclusive marketing campaigns.
  • The re-election of President Trump accelerated efforts against DEI, resulting in executive orders curtailing DEI policies in government, the private sector, and military.
  • Narrator / Reporter: “We’ve ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion policies...” (01:19)

• Corporate Rollbacks:

  • Companies began quietly eliminating DEI roles or rebranding them as “culture” or “belonging.”
  • As per Revelio Labs: more than 2,600 DEI jobs have been eliminated in the past two years. (07:05)

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Personal Impact: Candice Birdsong Williams’ Story

• Dedication to DEI Work:

  • Birdsong Williams, with nearly 20 years’ experience across major companies, describes her motivation as rooted in empathy and inclusion.
  • Candice Birdsong Williams: “It’s not about the things that you can see, but it’s about the things that you also can’t see.” (04:21)

• Sudden Job Loss and Ongoing Search:

  • After being laid off as a global director of DEI at a tech startup, Birdsong Williams has struggled to find another role in the field.
  • She notes companies retracting DEI roles mid-interview:
    • Candice Birdsong Williams: “I’ve been in interviews and like, okay, we’re no longer going to rehire...That’s when I knew this isn’t the same environment that it was years ago.” (04:57)

• Emotional and Practical Effects:

  • The impact is deeply personal, shaking her sense of security and professional identity.
  • Candice Birdsong Williams: “When you are directly affected by something, it really vibrates the ground, like it shakes and pulls the rug from up under your feet.” (07:42)

• Resilience and Faith:

  • Despite setbacks, Birdsong Williams leans on her faith, family, and years of experience.
  • Candice Birdsong Williams: Quoting her daughter’s Bible painting: “Slumps 46, he is within her. She will not fail. I’m not worried about failing now.” (08:12)

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The Broader Effects and Outlook

• Reduced Workplace Diversity:

  • Data indicates that companies with DEI teams have more diverse hiring. Eliminating these roles is expected to reduce workplace diversity.
  • Paulina Tilley, Revelio Labs: “Getting rid of these DEI functions is really going to pare back the diversity of the workplace.” (06:54)

• Shifting Strategies:

  • Some companies are maintaining DEI work under new labels, but that doesn’t match the previous level of commitment or hiring.
  • Candice Birdsong Williams: Now applying for HR roles unrelated to DEI, hoping her skills translate.

• Faint Signs of Hope:

  • As of this episode, Birdsong Williams is seeing more job interviews and a slight thaw in the hiring freeze, as some employers continue DEI work under different names.
  • Juana Summers: “She’s starting to feel more optimistic about the job market...some employers are getting a handle on how to continue doing DEI work, even if it’s under a different name.” (08:26)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “My inbox was completely on fire, completely on fire.”
  — Candice Birdsong Williams (00:45, 05:34)
• “It’s not about the things that you can see, but it’s about the things that you also can’t see.”
  — Candice Birdsong Williams (04:21)
• “We do believe in fairness...the workplace in corporate America has gotten way too partisan, way too divisive. We need to remove this stuff from corporate America.”
  — Robby Starbuck (05:52)
• “Getting rid of these DEI functions is really going to pare back the diversity of the workplace.”
  — Paulina Tilley, Revelio Labs (06:54)
• “When you are directly affected by something, it really vibrates the ground, like it shakes and pulls the rug from up under your feet.”
  — Candice Birdsong Williams (07:42)
• Quoting a favorite Bible verse: “He is within her. She will not fail. I’m not worried about failing now.”
  — Candice Birdsong Williams (08:12)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:12–00:49: Surge in DEI hiring post-2020; Birdsong Williams overwhelmed with recruiter outreach.
• 01:19–01:33: President Trump’s executive orders ending DEI policies in government and military.
• 03:31–04:25: Birdsong Williams’ background and passion for DEI.
• 04:42–04:57: Birdsong Williams’ layoff and realization of a changed job market.
• 05:52–06:27: Conservative critique and supporter defense of DEI.
• 06:54–07:05: Revelio Labs’ analysis on shrinking DEI job market.
• 07:42–08:12: Personal impact and resilience; reliance on faith and family.
• 08:26: Update on Birdsong Williams’ job search and cautious optimism.

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Conclusion

This episode documents the collapse of Corporate America’s DEI movement, spotlighting how a nationwide shift in public policy and corporate culture has left thousands of DEI professionals jobless or forced to reinvent their careers. Through the story of Candice Birdsong Williams—her personal resilience, faith, and hope—the episode puts a human face on a widespread, politically charged trend, while raising questions about the future of workplace diversity.

Transcript

[Juana Summers]

In 2020, after a white police officer murdered George Floyd, a national reckoning began over systemic racism.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

Black lives matter.

[Audience / Listener]

Black lives matter.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

Black lives matter.

[Audience / Listener]

Black lives matter.

[Juana Summers]

Corporate America rushed to join in, promising to fight discrimination and increase opportunities for workers of all backgrounds. And they put real muscle behind these promises, hiring thousands of specialists to implement them. By early 2023 US companies employed more than 20,000 people focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. For Candice Birdsong Williams, an executive who'd spent over a decade in DEI work, it was an exciting shift. She told NPR's Maria Aspen that she was hearing from recruiters constantly.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

My inbox was completely on fire, completely on fire.

[Juana Summers]

But it wasn't long before the backlash started from conservative influencers, politicians, lawyers. That same year, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action at colleges and universities. And Bud Light lost more than $1 billion in sales from a conservative boycott after hiring a transgender influencer for a short promotional video. By the time President Trump started his second term, the anti DEI movement was already well underway. And then the executive orders began.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

We've ended the tyranny of so called diversity, equity and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government and indeed the private sector and our military.

[Juana Summers]

Consider this. Corporate America has retreated from DEI and slashed thousands of jobs. So where does that leave the people who've built careers around that work? From npr, I'm Juana Summers.

[Podcast Host / Guest (Scott Carter or Robby Starbuck)]

Life is a mystery for those of faith or no faith. Ye Gods with Scott Carter is the podcast that makes sense of how we make sense of life. Each week we talk to celebrities, scholars, and mere mortals to unearth what on earth we believe and what we don't. Listen to. Ye Gods with Scott Carter, part of the NPR Network. Wherever you get your podcasts, you've probably.

[Audience / Listener]

Seen some people going straight to the front of the line at airport security.

[Podcast Host / Guest (Scott Carter or Robby Starbuck)]

I had, like, angry clouds darkening over my head. I was just sort of like, starting to fume.

[Audience / Listener]

On the Sunday Story, we take a closer look at how the private sector has taken on what used to be the government's job at the airport. Listen now to the Sunday story on the up first podcast from npr.

[Podcast Host (Mariel Segarra)]

If you're a robot, this might not be the show for you. But if you're a human with hopes, dreams, and bills to pay, the Life Kit podcast might be just what you need. Three times a week, Life Kit brings you a fresh set of solutions to help you tackle topics big and small, from how to save money on groceries to how to bring the house down down at karaoke. You know, human stuff. Listen to the Life Kit podcast from npr. Presentado por me Mariel Segarra.

[Juana Summers]

It's consider this from npr. Chief diversity officer was once corporate America's hottest job. Now DEI is under attack, leaving the people with careers in diversity, equity and inclusion out in the cold. NPR business correspondent Maria Aspen brings us the story of one veteran executive who's been job hunting for more than a year. She reported this spring from Raleigh, North Carolina.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

Candice Birdsong Williams starts her mornings reading from the Bible on her bedside table. Then she turns to a daily devotional reading.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

Today's was about keeping the faith, so it was really ideal.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

She's a pretty cheerful person, but during this conversation she started tearing up.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

We're not going to do this early into this interview, we're not.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

She was feeling raw for good reason. Birdsong Williams has spent almost 20 years working as an executive in what's now known as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or dei. She loves this work and she's been doing it since 2007. She says she really fell for it after one interaction with a hearing impaired colleague. The conversation got her thinking about the workplace barriers she'd never run into and what employers could do to remove them. For everyone, diversity runs so deep.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

It's not about the things that you can see, but it's about the things that you also can't see.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

Since then, Birdsong Williams has worked for companies including Nationwide and Cisco. By last summer, she had worked her way up to the title of global director of diversity, equity and inclusion for a tech startup. But then she lost her job in a wider round of layoffs.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

Being a single mom does bring on, you have to have resiliency. And, you know, immediately I was like, you know, it's going to be fine. And it is going to be fine.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

She's still trying to keep the faith, but she hasn't been able to find another job in dei.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

I've been in interviews and like, okay, we're no longer going to rehire for, we're no longer going to staff this role. That's when I knew this isn't the same environment that it was years ago.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

It really isn't the same environment. Five years ago, the murder of George Floyd and the resulting public outcry sent employers racing to hire thousands of diversity specialists. Within three years, the number of DEI related jobs in the United States had almost doubled. It was a great job market for experienced executives like Birdsong Williams, who told me on a zoom call she was hearing from recruiters every week.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

My inbox was completely on fire, completely on fire.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

But at the same time, a big backlash was gathering steam. Conservative critics argue that DEI is itself discriminatory, especially against white men. Here's the right wing influencer Robby Starbuck on cnbc.

[Podcast Host / Guest (Scott Carter or Robby Starbuck)]

We do believe in fairness, and I think that the workplace in corporate America has gotten way too partisan, way too divisive. We need to remove this stuff from corporate America.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

Even people who support DEI say that employers haven't always gotten it right, but they argue that at its best, it creates more opportunities for everyone. Jeffrey Siminoff oversaw diversity initiatives from Morgan Stanley, Apple and others.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

The work of inclusion and diversity is actually making the workplace better for most people without taking anything away from anyone or any group.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

But as the backlash ramped up, some companies started backing away. Then President Trump was reelected and signed executive orders banning what he calls illegal dei. Now dozens of private employers have erased even the word diversity from their public documents, and the DEI hiring chill is turning into a freeze. Paulina Tilley is a data scientist for the workplace analytics firm Revelio Labs.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

Companies with DEI teams tend to have more diverse new hires. Getting rid of these DEI functions is really going to pare back the diversity of the workplace.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

In the past two years, U.S. employers have eliminated more than 2,600 jobs related to diversity, equity and inclusion. That's according to an analysis Tilly conducted exclusively for npr. That doesn't mean everyone in those jobs has been laid off. Some employers just aren't filling roles after an employee leaves. And some companies have decided to call their DEI departments something else, like culture or belonging. But Tilly says that employers aren't hiring as much for those jobs anymore either, which is keeping people like Candace Birdsong Williams on the sidelines.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

When you are directly affected by something, it really vibrates the ground, like it shakes and pulls the rug from up under your feet.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

Now she's applying for human resources jobs that might not have diversity or DEI in the title. She's hoping that employers will focus on her skills and her two decades of experience. In the meantime, she's relying on her family and her faith. She keeps inspiration from them on display at her home, like a sign one of her daughters painted of a favorite Bible verse.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

Slumps 46 he is within her. She will not fail. I'm not worried about failing now.

[Narrator / Reporter (possibly Maria Aspen)]

She's just waiting for another employer to have the same faith in her and in the work that she's been so passionate about for decades.

[Juana Summers]

That was NPR's Maria Aspen. Since she first reported this story, Birdsong Williams has gone on more job interviews after more than a year of gritting through the deep freeze in DEI hiring, she's starting to feel more optimistic about the job market and and that some employers are getting a handle on how to continue doing DEI work, even if it's under a different name. This episode was produced by Katherine Fink and Christine Arrasmith. It was edited by Courtney Dorning and Rafael Nam. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. It's Consider this from npr. I'm Juana Summers.

[Podcast Host (Mariel Segarra)]

On this week's Wildcard, podcast author Ocean Vuong says we need to reframe how.

[Juana Summers]

We think about trauma.

[Candice Birdsong Williams]

The trauma comes on one side of a coin that also has strength on it.

[Podcast Host (Mariel Segarra)]

Find that Wild Card conversation on the NPR app, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Were you like, I don't want this locked up? John Legend is one of many stars riding the celebrity branding wave. He tells us about it on the indicator from Planet Money. Listen in the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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