Musk says diversity, equity and inclusion are ‘propaganda words'

Elon Musk on Friday evening criticized Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as “propaganda words” despite efforts by Tesla Inc. to promote such initiatives.

The billionaire is chief executive officer and the largest shareholder of Tesla, the electric-vehicle maker which has boasted that underrepresented groups make up the majority of its US workforce. The company didn’t respond to requests for comment on Musk’s views, made on the social-media platform X, which he owns.

Tesla, with headquarters in Austin and factories in California, Nevada, Texas and New York, published its first-ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report in December 2020. More recently, DEI efforts have been part of the EV maker’s annual impact report.

“We are proud to be a majority-minority company with a large representation of employees from communities that have long struggled to break through the historic roadblocks to equal opportunity in the US,” says the company’s 2022 Impact Report.

Tesla has held hiring events targeting women and students of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions, as well as several internal events to celebrate employee diversity. It also has several Employee Resource Groups and the company in 2022 launched a nationwide internal DEI newsletter.

In February 2022, California’s civil rights agency sued Tesla for “rampant racism” on behalf of Black workers at the company’s Fremont factory. In September, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission also sued Tesla for subjecting Black workers “to severe or pervasive racial harassment.”

“Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility,” Tesla said in its impact report. “From day one during onboarding, employees are exposed to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) principles and are encouraged to join Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) — led by passionate individuals who care about creating a strong community experience within Tesla.”