Microsoft laid off a DEI team, and its lead wrote an internal email blasting how DEI is ‘no longer business critical’

After Microsoft laid off an internal team focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, a team leader blasted the company for a lack of investment in these efforts.

“True systems-change work associated with DEI programs everywhere are no longer business critical or smart as they were in 2020,” a team leader wrote in an email sent to thousands of employees, which B-17 viewed.

The email says the team was eliminated because of “changing business needs” as of July 1. It’s unclear how many employees were affected.

The team leader, whose identity B-17 has been confirmed, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Many technology companies, including Microsoft, made commitments to improve diversity efforts after the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer and the historic protests that followed.

In 2020, Microsoft pledged to double the number of Black leaders within the company by 2025. The company’s progress on this pledge is also unclear.

Despite those commitments, many tech companies have appeared to retreat somewhat from diversity efforts. Zoom laid off a DEI-focused team earlier this year, Bloomberg reported. Google and Meta also cut DEI programs last year, according to CNBC.

“Our D&I commitments remain unchanged,” a Microsoft spokesperson, Jeff Jones, said in a statement. “Our focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering and we are holding firm on our expectations, prioritizing accountability, and continuing to focus on this work.”

Microsoft typically makes cuts to its workforce at about this time of year when its fiscal year rol