Elon Musk brands ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ as ‘propaganda words’
Even though Tesla Inc. has been actively promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion measures, Elon Musk branded them as “propaganda words” on Friday night.
Tesla, an electric vehicle manufacturer that has taken pride in employing a majority of people from historically underrepresented groups in the United States, is owned by the billionaire, who is also its chief executive officer and biggest shareholder. Musk expressed his opinions on the social networking site X, which he controls, but the corporation chose not to answer when asked for a response.
Musk wrote, “DEI must die” on his owned social media network X (previously Twitter). Putting a stop to discrimination, not introducing new forms of it, was the main objective. Propaganda phrases like “diversity, equity, and inclusion” often imply bigotry of various kinds. This kind of sexism and racism is as immoral as any other. Just because you change the target class doesn’t mean it is correct! With the master of controversy even going so far as to pin the post on his official account, he is making his point clear. No reaction from Tesla to Musk’s remarks has been issued as of yet.
DEI Initiatives by Tesla
The DEI initiatives of Tesla, an Austin-based company with operations in California, Nevada, New York, and Texas, have been consistently emphasized, according to a Bloomberg report, irrespective of Musk’s opinions.
In December 2020, the business published its first DEI report; from then on, these initiatives would be a part of the yearly impact reports. According to its 2022 Impact Report, Tesla is proud to be an employer of people from underrepresented groups in the US, and it also claims to be a “majority-minority” employer.
According to the article, Tesla has been actively seeking female students and those from HBCUs and other institutions that serve Hispanic students through its recruitment activities. It has also launched an internal DEI periodical in 2022, formed Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), and held events to honor diversity in the workplace.
Difficulties in Facing the Law
Nevertheless, in 2022, Tesla encountered legal obstacles. A civil rights organization in California sued Tesla’s Fremont plant on behalf of Black employees, claiming “rampant racism” as the reason. In a similar vein, Tesla was hit with a federal EEOC lawsuit in September 2023 over claims of racial harassment directed toward Black employees.
“Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility,” Tesla stated in its impact report. Employees are invited to join Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)—led by dedicated individuals who care about building a great community experience inside Tesla—and are exposed to our DEI values from the very beginning of their onboarding process.
