THE NEW YORK POST – The maker of Jack Daniel’s whisky said it will pull back on its DEI initiatives, buckling to pressure on social media as an “anti-woke” activist said he was preparing to launch a boycott.
Spirits giant Brown-Forman Corp. — with a market capitalization of $21.37 billion — is the latest company to scrap its diversity, equity and inclusion program, following Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply and John Deere.
Major firms that rely heavily on a red state clientele have been caving to boycott pressure from corporate activist Robby Starbuck, who said Jack Daniel’s was next on the list, but that the company reversed its policies before he got the chance to lead a boycott.
“We’re now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting just from fear they have of being the next company that we expose,” Starbuck said on X.
Brown-Forman will stop linking bonuses and pay to DEI progress, end its participation in an annual ranking of companies with an LGBTQ-friendly environment and throw out its plans to push for a more diverse group of suppliers, according to a copy of an internal memo posted on X.
The company previously tied 10% of executives’ short-term compensation to progress on DEI goals, according to a 2023 annual report.
The Kentucky-based company first launched its DEI goals in 2019.
“Since then, the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically, particularly within the United States,” company executives told employees in a letter on Wednesday.
“With these new dynamics at play, we must adjust our work to ensure it continues to drive business results while appropriately recognizing the current environment in which we find ourselves.”
Brown-Forman shares dipped less than 1% on Thursday.
Social activists called for big businesses to implement sweeping DEI programs just a few years ago — and now those same companies are responding to cries to cut those goals, largely led by Starbuck on X.
