The move marks a significant reversal. Since 2014, these reports have been a key tool for tracking progress, or lack of it, in the tech industry’s push.
Three of the world’s biggest tech companies, Meta, Google and Microsoft, are quietly stepping back from a decade-long transparency practice. According to a Wired investigation, all three companies have stopped publishing their annual diversity reports, documents that previously detailed the gender and racial composition of their global workforces.
Big Tech pauses diversity disclosures
The move marks a significant reversal. Since 2014, these reports have been a key tool for tracking progress, or lack of it, in the tech industry’s push toward better representation. Now, Google, Microsoft and Meta say they will no longer publish them, even as competitors like Apple, Amazon and Nvidia continue sharing updated diversity data.
Wired reports, citing employees familiar with the matter, that Google has no intention of releasing any diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) metrics this year. Microsoft and Meta confirmed the same to the publication.
Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw said the company has “evolved beyond” traditional reports, shifting to “more dynamic and accessible formats,” such as internal stories and videos. Meta declined to explain its decision.
Google began the practice, and is now stepping back
In 2014, Google became the first major tech company to publicly release detailed diversity numbers after pressure from civil rights leaders, led by Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Other companies quickly followed.
For a decade, Google published annual reports, 11 in total, covering workforce trends from 2013 through 2023. Meta released diversity data from 2014 to 2022. Microsoft’s last update was in October 2024.
At the time, tech leaders claimed transparency was essential. “It’s hard to address these challenges if you’re not prepared to discuss them openly,” then–Google HR chief Laszlo Bock wrote.
Political shift and DEI pullback
The decision comes amid a changing political environment in the United States. After returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to investigate “illegal private-sector DEI preferences,” potentially penalising firms that appear to prioritise diversity in hiring or promotion.
Following the order, several major employers, including Google and Meta, removed DEI language from public filings, scaled back minority hiring goals and reassessed internal programs.
What this means for the industry
The halt in transparency raises difficult questions about how Big Tech plans to measure, or address, representation going forward. While the companies insist their commitments remain unchanged, critics argue that without data, accountability becomes nearly impossible.
For now, the three giants that once championed openness on diversity are choosing a more cautious, less public path, one that could reshape workforce reporting across the tech sector.
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times
