Boeing has become the latest corporate giant to ditch its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) division, marking a significant shift in its operations and signaling a broader movement in corporate America. Under orders from Boeing’s new leadership, the aerospace company has dismantled its DEI department, moving remaining staff into a team focused on broader talent and employee experience. Boeing’s DEI lead, Sara Liang Bowen, exited the company last Thursday, ending a five-year push to embed DEI practices within the company.
Bowen, in a LinkedIn farewell post, expressed pride in her team’s efforts, stating, “It has been the privilege of my lifetime to lead Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Boeing company… Our team strived every day to support the evolving brilliance and creativity of our workforce.” Yet critics argue this emphasis on DEI was coming at the expense of Boeing’s core priorities: safety, quality, and reliability.
Elon Musk himself took aim at Boeing’s priorities earlier this year after an incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. A large section of the plane tore off mid-air, forcing an emergency landing and raising questions about Boeing’s focus on safety. Musk suggested that the company had started using DEI metrics as a performance indicator for executive bonuses, overshadowing more critical goals like engineering and safety standards. “Do you want to fly in an airplane where they prioritized DEI hiring over your safety?” Musk warned in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “People will die due to DEI,” he continued, underscoring the potential danger of placing identity-based hiring ahead of rigorous safety standards.
Meanwhile, conservative activist Robby Starbuck claimed a victory, stating that his direct outreach to Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg and board chair Steve Mollenkopf pressured the company to reevaluate its DEI policies. Starbuck is known for orchestrating successful campaigns to pressure companies to reconsider DEI initiatives, warning them of potential backlash. He tweeted, “Our campaigns are so effective that we’re getting some of the biggest corporations on earth to change their policies… The landscape of corporate America is quickly shifting to sanity and neutrality.”
Boeing’s DEI restructuring is just the latest example of a larger rollback of DEI initiatives among major American companies. After heightened DEI campaigns surged following the death of George Floyd in 2020, companies like John Deere, Harley-Davidson, and Tractor Supply Co. have begun stepping back from DEI-based hiring and programming. Toyota and Ford recently announced reductions in DEI spending, while John Deere cut ties with “social and cultural awareness events.” Critics argue these programs, which often prioritize certain identity groups, fail to promote merit-based opportunities and, in some cases, contribute to division within workplaces.
Though Boeing has officially closed its DEI department, the company emphasized that it “remains committed to recruiting and retaining top talent and creating an inclusive work environment.” However, the company’s renewed focus appears to place safety, quality, and employee excellence at the forefront, reinforcing the message that professional competence—not identity markers—should be the key to advancement.
Even as Boeing re-evaluates its DEI focus, it faces ongoing labor disputes. Approximately 33,000 union members of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) have been on strike for nearly two months, demanding better wages and a return to defined-benefit pensions. This Monday, workers are set to vote on a new proposal that raises a four-year wage increase from 35% to 38%, offering a $12,000 signing bonus—though it still falls short of their pension demands. The strike has disrupted production of Boeing’s flagship jets, including the 737 Max, and is seen as a significant pressure point for the company.
As corporations weigh the backlash against DEI and employees demand better working conditions, Boeing’s move may indicate a new trend in corporate priorities: back to basics, with a focus on merit, quality, and employee well-being. It’s a signal that, for some companies, the era of DEI is fading, giving way to a return to traditional corporate values.
