Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s behemoth technology company, terminated key diversity, equity, and inclusion policies Friday. 

In an internal memo to employees obtained by Axios, Meta’s vice president of human resources announced the company would cut its DEI team and end goals to choose business suppliers from “diverse-owned” businesses effective “immediately.” Janelle Gale also canceled Meta’s “Diverse Slate Approach” and slashed equity and inclusion programs. 

The DEI policies “can create the impression that decisions are being made based on race or gender,” Gale wrote. “The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”

The move came after Zuckerberg shocked the country when he announced that due to problems with “political bias,” it would no longer use “fact-checkers.” 

The latest news from Meta marks a backtrack from its DEI policies, which garnered controversy from critics who argued they undermined individual merit and bred mediocrity. Critics, including tech leaders such as X CEO Elon Musk, have argued that DEI is “just another word for racism.” 

Meta cited “the legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States” for its decision to move away from DEI. Gale also appeared to reference the Supreme Court’s move in June 2023 to strike down race-based affirmative action in higher education, a decision that could entail legal consequences for corporations hiring based on race. 

“We build the best teams with the most talented people. This means sourcing people from a range of candidate pools, but never making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics (e.g. race, gender etc.),” Gayle wrote. “We will always evaluate people as individuals.”

Meta had already made a string of cuts to DEI programs in 2023.

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Meta’s move to eliminate its DEI policies follows a host of similar changes from major U.S. companies in recent months. McDonald’s scrapped many of its DEI programs earlier this month. Walmart, Lowe’s, John Deere, Tractor Supply, and Ford are among the other corporations that have backed away from their DEI policies. 

Meanwhile, data from the Pew Research Center published in November showed support for DEI is declining among the workforce.