# Corporate America Discovers Diversity Was Just a Fad, Thousands of Chief Diversity Officers Shocked to Learn They Were Hired as Human Shields
Corporate America has quietly eliminated thousands of diversity, equity, and inclusion positions over the past year, with many former Chief Diversity Officers expressing surprise that their roles were apparently less “strategic business priority” and more “liability insurance with a salary.”
The wave of DEI job cuts has left many professionals who built entire careers around corporate diversity work discovering that their expertise was considered essential right up until the moment it became slightly inconvenient or expensive.
Candace Byrdsong Williams, a diversity executive with experience dating back to 2007, represents many professionals now facing the harsh reality that “transforming corporate culture” was apparently a temporary assignment rather than an actual career path.
“I just didn’t think it would take this long to find another position,” Williams told NPR, apparently unaware that the entire industry she worked in was designed to be temporary and cosmetic rather than permanent and substantive.
The position of Chief Diversity Officer, which became one of corporate America’s most sought-after jobs following the 2020 racial justice protests, has now revealed itself to be the business equivalent of a participation trophy—created quickly to look good, then quietly discarded when public attention moved elsewhere.
Companies across industries have discovered what they describe as “budget optimization opportunities” in their diversity departments, with several executives reportedly expressing surprise that they were paying people full-time salaries to do work they assumed would somehow accomplish itself.
“We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how corporations view diversity initiatives,” said one corporate consultant who requested anonymity, presumably to avoid being the next person whose job disappears during “organizational restructuring.” “The urgency that drove massive hiring in this space has been replaced by the urgent need to cut costs and pretend the previous urgency never existed.”
The advertising industry has been particularly affected, with several major agencies laying off chief diversity officers and returning diversity responsibilities to HR departments, where they can be handled by existing staff during their lunch breaks between actual business functions.
Legal experts note that while companies are eliminating dedicated diversity roles, they’re maintaining just enough compliance-focused positions to avoid lawsuits, suggesting that their commitment to diversity extends exactly as far as legal requirements and no further.
Some former DEI officers report that companies are now removing diversity job postings within hours of posting them, after realizing that actually hiring someone would involve spending money on salaries rather than just looking like they care about diversity on LinkedIn.
The job market shift has been particularly challenging for Black professionals, who comprised a significant portion of DEI leadership roles and are now discovering that corporate America’s commitment to racial equity was approximately as deep as a tweet with a Black square.
Corporate diversity consultants report that client companies are increasingly requesting advice on how to eliminate diversity programs without looking racist, a service that apparently requires different expertise than actually implementing diversity programs successfully.
Several former diversity executives have formed informal support networks to discuss their career transitions, with many discovering that “corporate responsibility” and “authentic commitment to social justice” were two completely different concepts that they had somehow confused with each other.
The reduction in DEI roles comes as several states have implemented legislation restricting diversity programs, providing companies with the perfect excuse to do what they apparently wanted to do anyway while blaming it on politics rather than profit margins.
Former Chief Diversity Officers report that their biggest challenge is explaining to potential employers what they actually did in their previous roles, since “making the company look progressive in press releases” doesn’t translate well to other business functions.
Industry observers expect the trend to continue as companies realize they can achieve the same public relations benefits from diversity initiatives by simply posting inclusive stock photos on their websites rather than paying actual humans to implement actual programs.
The long-term implications for workplace diversity efforts remain unclear, though early indicators suggest that corporate America’s commitment to social justice is roughly equivalent to their commitment to any other business trend that becomes inconvenient or expensive.
Many former DEI professionals are now pursuing careers in other fields, with several noting that their experience in promoting initiatives that were never intended to succeed has prepared them well for careers in politics or nonprofit fundraising.
Source: NPR, corporate earnings reports, exit interviews