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Continuing the wave of mass layoffs at large companies this year, Zoom eliminated 150 jobs last week. Notably, many of those targeted were part of the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Last week, chief operating officer Aparna Bawa told Zoom staff that the company is officially changing its approach to DEI, Bloomberg reported today. Instead of having a dedicated internal team focused on inclusion, the company plans to hire outside consultants to engage its employees on DEI efforts. The company is still hiring for roles in other departments related to machine learning, AI, and engineering.

"We regularly evaluate our teams to ensure alignment with our strategy," a Zoom spokesperson told Bloomberg about the layoffs. "As part of this effort, we are rescoping roles to add capabilities and continue to hire in critical areas for the future."

After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, many companies announced programs aimed at increasing workplace DEI efforts. Zoom, for example, launched recruiting programs focused on building a more diverse talent pipeline and created an employee resource group program, according to a 2022 survey from the company.

A spokesperson from Zoom told Bloomberg that the company "remains committed to DEI." However, since the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action last year, many other large companies have pulled back on DEI efforts, including Google and Meta. On the other hand, some firms, including Morrison Foerster and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, have found success navigating conservative-backed legal challenges by tweaking the language of their DEI policies and updating eligibility criteria for diversity-related programs.

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