Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol doubled down on the coffee giant’s commitment to divisive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies during a shareholder meeting this week, ignoring the growing backlash against corporate virtue-signaling and focusing instead on identity politics rather than serving customers.
“Starbucks is a tremendously, tremendously diverse organization and will continue to be a tremendously diverse organization, just by the nature of our mission, our values, and how we operate around the world,” Niccol declared during the Wednesday meeting.
This was Niccol’s first shareholder meeting since taking over in September, where he introduced a “Back to Starbucks” strategy meant to bring the company back to its roots. Yet, instead of prioritizing quality coffee, competitive pricing, or improving customer experience, Niccol made it clear that the company’s priority remains pushing DEI initiatives—an agenda that has cost many corporations dearly as consumers reject woke policies.
While many businesses are now distancing themselves from DEI in response to public pushback and legal concerns, Starbucks appears determined to double down. Niccol insisted that with 40,000 stores in 88 markets, the company must reflect diversity in “every single one of our stores.”
“Diversity is going to continue to be a key, I think, strength of our business and, frankly, helps us connect with our customers at another level,” he said, offering no evidence to back up the claim that identity-based hiring improves coffee sales or customer satisfaction.
Starbucks Chief Partner Officer Sarah Kelly echoed Niccol’s sentiment, telling shareholders the company remains “deeply committed to diversity.”
“When I think about the work that we’re doing, we’re focused on creating diversity through a culture of inclusion as well, where every partner and every customer feels like they belong at Starbucks,” Kelly said, using corporate jargon to push the same narrative that has alienated consumers from brands like Bud Light and Target.
Niccol also emphasized that Starbucks’ board of directors will be chosen based on race, gender, and other identity markers, rather than solely on qualifications and experience.
“We’re always working to improve our board to ensure our directors are capable, prepared, equipped to oversee the success of our business both today and in the future,” he added—though his words suggest Starbucks sees “success” through the lens of political activism rather than sound business practices.
These comments come at a time when major corporations are under increased scrutiny for their DEI policies, especially after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January directing federal agencies to investigate discriminatory hiring practices at major corporations, nonprofits, and foundations.
“Illegal DEI and DEIA policies not only violate the text and spirit of our longstanding federal civil-rights laws, they also undermine our national unity, as they deny, discredit, and undermine the traditional American values of hard work, excellence, and individual achievement in favor of an unlawful, corrosive, and pernicious identity-based spoils system,” the executive order stated.
Many companies have since taken note and begun scaling back their DEI programs. Target, Amazon, Lowe’s, Meta, McDonald’s, American Airlines, and Boeing have all quietly moved away from these policies in recent months. Even Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, has rolled back some of its controversial DEI initiatives.
Walmart CFO John David Rainey recently told FOX Business that the company had seen no negative business impact from stepping away from DEI, further proving that abandoning woke politics does not hurt the bottom line.
“We want to be a place where all of America can come to shop,” Rainey said. “We want to be a place where all of America can come to work. So, we haven’t changed our values, and we haven’t seen any impact from any of the announcements that have been out there.”
With Starbucks refusing to learn from the failures of other woke corporations, it remains to be seen how long customers will continue to tolerate a company that prioritizes political correctness over quality coffee and good service.
