A reckoning is underway in corporate America. After the death of George Floyd in 2020, it seemed that every Fortune 500 company had launched a “dive

Why Boeing Killed DEI

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2024-11-13 02:00:04

A reckoning is underway in corporate America. After the death of George Floyd in 2020, it seemed that every Fortune 500 company had launched a “diversity, equity, and inclusion” program. But now, four years later, many companies are quietly acknowledging the failure of these initiatives and, in some cases, winding them down.

Earlier this year, we reported on the DEI troubles at Boeing, which an insider described in this way: “DEI is the drop you put in the bucket, and the whole bucket changes. It is anti-excellence, because it is ill-defined, but it became part of the culture.”

That is changing. Earlier this month, Boeing’s newly installed CEO, Kelly Ortberg, quietly dismantled the DEI department and accepted the resignation of the office’s vice president. To understand how this happened, we reached out to the same insider. In the following interview, edited slightly for clarity, the insider provides a glimpse into the change of heart—and administration—at company headquarters.

Insider: We are shifting from a company whose culture is simply the average of corporate America to a distinct and deliberate vision of leadership. Kelly Ortberg wants Boeing focused on being an airplane company with our own culture and vision. The resulting cash crunch from the strike accelerated this culture shift. When you start to focus on delivering value instead of preserving status, it becomes obvious what drives value, and it’s not DEI.

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