Salesforce Inc. has decided to discontinue its diversity hiring goals following a series of executive orders signed by former President Donald Trump, which aimed to dismantle such initiatives in both the federal government and the private sector. In its annual financial report released on Wednesday, the San Francisco-based company also eliminated previous mentions of diversity and inclusion as a “core value,” along with references to executive compensation being linked to “employee diversity measures.” A Salesforce spokesperson stated, “While we are not specifying representation goals, we remain committed to our core value of equality,” when discussing the company’s hiring practices.
On his first day in office, Trump enacted an executive order to eliminate diversity hiring within the federal workforce and among its contractors. Salesforce is a major software provider to the U.S. government. Additionally, Trump issued another order directing the government to encourage companies to discontinue their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Recently, various companies, including Target Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc., have scaled back their DEI initiatives. Several of Trump’s executive orders on this matter have faced legal challenges.
Marc Benioff, Salesforce’s CEO, has been a vocal advocate for social issues, previously supporting a tax increase in San Francisco to fund programs for the homeless and threatening to withdraw investments from Indiana over a law permitting anti-LGBTQ discrimination on religious grounds. In its latest filing, Salesforce stated, “Our approach to equality is firmly rooted in compliance with federal law as a U.S. company. By adhering to these laws, we uphold a fair and inclusive environment where our employees can perform their best work, reinforcing principles of equality, dignity, and respect for all.” The company outlined its “core set of values” as trust, customer success, innovation, equality, and sustainability.
Separately, investors have expressed concerns regarding the potential effects of government cost-cutting measures on software companies. Like many other CEOs, Benioff has indicated that Salesforce’s software could assist the government in reducing expenses. Stephen Ehikian, the acting administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration and a former Salesforce executive, has stated his intention to collaborate closely with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which operates as an office within the White House rather than an official department.
