As DEI programs come under attack, companies like Costco and Microsoft are moving forward

As corporate diversity and inclusion programs come under attack, not all companies have reduced their workforces.

At Costco’s annual meeting on Thursday, shareholders will vote on a proposal from the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, that would require the company to report on any potential risks that diversity programs could present for profits.

Before the vote, Costco’s board wholeheartedly defended DEI, arguing that such initiatives reward shareholders and “strengthen our ability to attract and retain employees who will help our company succeed.”

Unlike Costco, some of the nation’s largest companies have backed away from efforts to increase racial and gender equity in the workplace — or at least remained more quiet about them. They withdrew from those initiatives under pressure from discrimination lawsuits, campaigns by social media influencers like Robby Starbuck and efforts by President Trump, who signed an executive order Tuesday directing government agencies to investigate the programs DEI in publicly traded companies.

But Costco is one of many large public companies that are publicly maintaining their DEI efforts despite growing pressure. At many of these companies, commitments to diversity have been in place for more than a decade.

This month, Apple opposed a similar proposal from the think tank. “We strive to create a culture of belonging where everyone can do their best,” its board wrote to shareholders.