Meta employees slam decision to roll back its DEI programs

Meta's DEI Rollback and Employee Reaction - Meta announced the rollback of its DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, leading to significant internal criticism [1][2] - Over 390 employees reacted with a teary-eyed emoji to the internal post announcing the changes, while 200 reacted with a shocked emoji and 195 with an angry emoji [2] - Employees expressed disappointment, with comments such as "This is unfortunate disheartening upsetting to read" and "What happened to the company I joined all those years ago" [2][4] Changes to Content Moderation Policies - Meta's decision to roll back DEI initiatives follows changes to its content moderation policies, including the elimination of third-party fact-checkers in favor of a community notes model [2][5] - The updated guidelines allow users to make allegations of mental illness or abnormality based on gender or sexual orientation, citing political and religious discourse [3] Internal Criticism and Leadership Response - Meta's VP of HR, Janelle Gale, stated that the term DEI has "become charged" and is seen by some as suggesting preferential treatment, leading to the decision to eliminate DEI-focused teams [4][5] - Employees criticized the move, with one stating, "I am ashamed to work for a company which so readily drops its apparent morals because of the political landscape in the US" [4] - Another employee expressed concern that the changes "go against what we as a company have tried to do to protect people who use our platforms" [4]