DEI

There has been a phase of tech companies releasing diversity reports each year, giving overviews of workforce makeups. Now Microsoft is bucking the trend.

Although the company has not said as much, the move is likely a direct response to pressure from the Trump administration. The US president has scrapped large numbers of diversity, equality and inclusion programs across government, and strongly suggested that private companies follow suit.

President Trump has issued a slew of executive orders in the early days of his second stint in the White House. Among these are several designed to cut back on government and federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that helped to boost job opportunities for underrepresented groups.

Following the executive orders and court rulings, numerous firms -- including tech companies such as Amazon and Meta -- announced that they were rolling back, revising, or killing off their DEI hiring targets. Now Google has followed suit.

The GNOME Foundation has announced Holly Million is stepping down as Executive Director, with Richard Littauer stepping in as Interim Executive Director. This transition should hopefully prompt a broader discussion within the open source community about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the selection of new leadership. Shouldn’t we all want to see diversity and equality considered for the hire?

Million's contributions included the development of strategic plans and securing important fiscal sponsorships, setting a solid foundation for her successor. As the search for a new Executive Director begins, there is an opportunity to consider how DEI could influence the leadership direction at the Foundation. This includes evaluating the potential impact of diverse leadership styles and the benefits of varied perspectives in guiding the Foundation's future.