Motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson has pledged to end so-called “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)” measures within its organization in a huge victory for conservatives. However, some remain unconvinced by the pledged changes.
The company follows in the footsteps of John Deere and Tractor Supply, who’ve both recently revoked DEI policies following a campaign by conservative commentator Robby Starbuck, who is now three for three in his campaigns against corporate DEI policies.
In a statement, Harley-Davidson said it was “saddened by the negativity on social media” in a reference to Starbuck’s campaign.
“It is critical to our business that we hire and retain the best talent and that all employees feel welcome,” the company explained. “That said, we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals.” Naturally, most aren’t convinced about that.
It also announced plans to “focus exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling” as a consumer brand, while pledging to no longer participate in Human Rights Campaign (HRC) scoring – a woke measure of how LGBTQ+-friendly a company is – going forward. Furthermore, Harley-Davidson added that employee training would be “absent of socially motivated content” effective immediately.
Starbuck – who told Fox News that he wanted to “bring down DEI and wokeism in corporate America” – shared the statement on his X profile to widespread support from social media users.
However, many were skeptical over the planned changes with the current CEO still in place.
What’s your view? Does the CEO need to go until you’re fully convinced? Let us know in the comments below.
