On December 16, 2024, Candi Castleberry, Amazon’s Vice President of Inclusive Experiences and Technology, shared an internal message revealing the company’s plan to gradually discontinue and reassess certain DEI initiatives. This change includes “removing outdated programs and materials” as a component of Amazon’s persistent endeavors to tackle representation and inclusion.
On December 16, 2024, Candi Castleberry, Amazon’s Vice President of Inclusive Experiences and Technology, issued an internal memo announcing the company’s decision to phase out and reevaluate some of its DEI initiatives. The move involves “eliminating outdated programs and materials” as part of Amazon’s ongoing efforts to address representation and inclusion.
Castleberry explained that over the past few years, Amazon has been reviewing its company-wide programs, each of which was designed to address specific disparities. According to her, these initiatives are intended to conclude once their respective disparities are resolved. The memo also emphasized the shift towards building programs that are “open to everyone” rather than allowing individual groups to create their own initiatives.
Amazon aims to complete the discontinuation of these “outdated” programs by the end of 2024, integrating DEI work into the company’s existing processes to ensure greater longevity. The focus is on fostering a culture of inclusivity that is inherently part of the company’s DNA, rather than an added-on effort.
This approach aligns with a broader corporate trend among major companies, including Meta, McDonald’s, and Walmart, which have also scaled back their DEI initiatives in recent years.
Additionally, Amazon has updated its “Our Positions” page, consolidating explicit mentions of specific groups into broader statements on equity and inclusion. For instance, a section that previously stated, “Inequity in the treatment of Black people is unacceptable,” has been revised to, “We believe that inequitable treatment of any individual, including Black, LGBTQ+, Asian, women, and others, is unacceptable. We advocate for policies designed to eliminate barriers to equity and create an inclusive environment for all employees.”
These updates reflect Amazon’s goal of building more inclusive and effective programs that are embedded within the company’s core processes, replacing standalone initiatives.
