In his second innings, Donald Trump is vigorously stirring the pot of discussion, debate, dissent and turmoil across the globe. No country is out of the reach of the power and presence of the US. While the world’s largest economy has held this status for years, its pinch is being felt all too overtly in the beginning months of 2025. What happens in the US touches all else in some way or the other.
After a big win in the elections, Trump is making every day ‘bigly’ special. In many ways, Make America Great Again or MAGA is not just an election slogan that brought him back. It’s become a part of everyday action that is making America and the world sit up and get talking. Some weeping as well.
Let me peep into the actions on DEI—diversity, equity and inclusion—initiatives that have been announced and implemented in one week flat as part of the early momentum of presidential actions. Trump has ordered federal agencies to discontinue diversity programmes and contracts. He has declared it in big and bold Trump letters, and has announced that there are just two genders now and in the future. Washrooms in the US will not have gender of choice identity. Instead, they will be named by biological sex. There are just two colours, and nothing in between. There are just two genders, man and woman.
The federal government and agency diktat has very quickly cascaded into acceptance across the private sector. Large numbers of companies have embraced Trumpism without a whimper of dissent on DEI. The notable big exception being McKinsey, which says it will continue on its DEI track with their line of thought being ‘diversity in our meritocracy’ for their employees from 140-odd nationalities.
What, then, is the fate of the much-celebrated DEI initiatives of yore? The year 2017 had emerged as the big year of DEI rollouts across governments, the private sector and in every space of work. India itself embraced it as a reasonably central part of its goal. Private sector companies of India in particular went out on a limb. Every company had a DEI portfolio carved out. DEI had to be part of every initiative there was to run and celebrate within the company. Companies even went in to incorporate a third bathroom in the plans for their new and existing offices.
DEI initiatives across companies are at the crossroads of confusion today. While in the US the clarion call is loud and clear, MNCs that operate globally out of the US are reconsidering their focus and expenditures across the count of DEI initiatives. In the case of many companies, many DEI roles are being robbed and dumped into the dustbin of “re-defined roles”. The first cost-cutting initiatives of companies will now focus on the DEI portfolio.
DEI therefore is the new sunset around. It lasted a while, had its hey-days, and to the joy of some in many organisations, the sunset is well nigh here. As Accenture plc, Google, Amazon, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and a whole lot of firms dump DEI into the dustbin of the “also tried” initiatives, DEI globally is in a wheelchair at the moment. Not yet on a stretcher or in the ICU, but most certainly has its days numbered. Those that are not admitting to this fact are doing quite what those shouting that AI is not killing jobs are, from the pulpit of corporate arrogance.
Now all this sad dismantling of DEI initiatives is going to have an impact on diversity initiatives for sure. Diversity came in as a key noble thought as part of the affirmative action movements across the globe that wanted those deprived to be re-settled with respect. Diversity was not to be kept in a corner no one could see, but to be centre-staged as part of government and corporate philosophy. DEI created in many ways a majority and minority kind of status within organisations. Elon Musk even went on to post on “X: “DEI is just another word for racism.”
The key point to remember is, however, that this might be what America wants today, but is this what India wants? Or for that matter is this what Vietnam wants? Every nation has its imperatives and is on a different trajectory in its journey.
DEI might be right for India just now, so why dump it, if at all? Yes, India might want to dump DEI 20 years hence, but let the people of India decide on that at that point of time. And this is what gives some semblance of hope, life and future for the DEI movement in India. It just might stay.
Every nation must decide for itself what is important, what is correct, what is contextual to its reality and what is needed. If a country does “woke” for the sake of woke, it will be put to sleep rather early. Must you then offer the people what they need and want, or must you offer them what they don’t know they want and need? The debate shall continue.
The world is witnessing movements that are taking us back to what we were, rather than what we want to or need to be. Last week, MP Rupert Lowe in the UK demanded that Bengali signage on Whitechapel Station in London be erased. He stated on X, “This is London. The station name should be in English and English only.” He is right. In a woke manner of speaking, he is wrong. But then, the world is not your oyster anymore. Progressively, the oyster is your world. Think.
Local movements all over the world will gain traction and the global will be shunned, I guess. Even as I write this in, there is an emerging movement in Karnataka that has an interesting take on it all. As retail distributors are facing turmoil due to the reduction of margins by big companies, loss of sale to quick-commerce and heightened competition within distributors, there is a call to localise distributorship. Karnataka distributorships by MNCs and others should be granted exclusively to those from Karnataka. Keep it local. Keep it hyper-local, even. An exciting demand.
The future sure is exciting. For the moment, the space of DEI is in turmoil. Let’s watch as it unfolds.
(Views are personal)
(harishbijoor@hotmail.com)
Harish Bijoor | Brand Guru & Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults