Verizon said it was "fiercely committed to diversity and inclusion." Verizon lied.
"Verizon is fiercely committed to diversity and inclusion across all spectrums because it makes us and the world better."
That is what Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said on June 6, 2020. But Verizon's commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) was less fierce than advertised. Vestberg's statement has been removed from the company's website.
In a letter dated May 15, 2025, Verizon Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer Vandana Venkatesh informed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr that the company was "ending its DEI-related policies…effective immediately." Verizon said that:
The company "will no longer have a team or any individual roles focused on DEI."
"Verizon is removing references to DEI or 'diversity, equity and inclusion' from its employee training materials."
Verizon has "eliminated supplier diversity programs."
Verizon "will no longer maintain any workforce diversity goals."
"Verizon is removing its 'Diversity and Inclusion' website."
In the letter, Verizon said these changes were required by the "Supreme Court, the President’s Executive Orders, and federal mandates." This is false; there is no Supreme Court ruling that prohibits using the words "diversity" and "inclusion" on a website or in employee training materials. Similarly, companies are still legally permitted to have "workforce diversity goals" and "supplier diversity programs." These kinds of initiatives are not inherently discriminatory. Rather, they often involve making sure more candidates and businesses know about opportunities. President Trump signed an executive order declaring DEI programs "illegal," but presidents are not empowered to create new laws by fiat.
So why did Verizon abruptly abandon its commitment to DEI? Apparently, it was required by the FCC to win approval for Verizon to acquire Frontier Communications, a broadband technology company, for $20 billion. The FCC announced its approval of the acquisition on May 16 — the day after Verizon said it had ended all its DEI programs. In its press release, the FCC said its approval of the acquisition "Ensures that Discriminatory DEI Policies End."
Verizon's public commitment to diversity and inclusion was not limited to one statement by its CEO in 2020. It was something that Verizon and its leadership repeatedly and adamantly stressed was central to its values. But when saying "diversity" and "inclusion" put a $20 billion acquisition at risk, it abandoned DEI in a heartbeat.
"Diversity and inclusion efforts are at the heart of Verizon," Tami Erwin, former Executive VP & CEO of Verizon Business, said in a January 2021 interview with Leadership Magazine. "It’s important that we continue to broaden our definition of D&I to ensure we’re building an organization that is rich with diverse perspectives and skills. We recognize that diversity and inclusion isn’t just an HR issue – it’s an economic and leadership issue." Erwin said that "we’ve had moments in time where as a broader society we stop and listen to stories of systemic inequities, conscious bias and unconscious bias, but that’s not enough." She said Verizon would "take this moment and make it a movement – one where we not only listen, but we learn and lead by action."
On April 7, 2021, Verizon issued a press release announcing that it would extend its "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitment to impact the marketing ecosystem inside and outside Verizon." The company said it would be "increasing diversity and equity in both representation and economic investment within the creative supply chain." Diego Scotti, Verizon’s former Chief Marketing Officer, said that Verizon's "responsible marketing action plan sets a new DE&I standard that is not only the right thing to do, it is good for business."
“At Verizon, we are committed to creating a workplace that reflects the diverse communities around us. Diversity, equity and inclusion are our greatest superpowers and core to how we achieve and define success,” Samantha Hammock, Verizon's Chief Human Resources Officer, said on April 21, 2022. Hammock's statement was included in a press release announcing Christina Schilling as Verizon's Senior Vice President of Talent and Diversity.
In a May 22, 2023, interview with UNLEASH, Schilling said that Verizon has been "elevating the notion of diversity and inclusion to one of our most critical business capabilities." For Verizon, Schilling stressed, diversity and inclusion are not just "something on the wall to read."
On January 17, 2024, Vestberg appeared on a panel in Davos and rejected the anti-DEI backlash. Vestberg said pursuing a diverse workforce is "common sense" and "self-fulfilling if you want to do good business." Fast Company reported that Verizon "isn’t backing down from its inclusion efforts despite a recent backlash against corporate DEI programs."
Verizon memory-holes its commitment to DEI
Verizon is not just abandoning its DEI policies, but it is also making a concerted effort to pretend like they never existed in the first place. Multiple pages that used to boast the company’s DEI policies are no longer available on Verizon’s website. Popular Information accessed the scrubbed webpages using the Internet Archive.
A section on the Verizon website entitled “Diversity and Inclusion” used to champion the company’s commitment to DEI:
Verizon is committed to fostering an inclusive environment. We care about diversity in both our employees and our suppliers. Diversity and inclusion is how we achieve success. By celebrating diversity across all spectrums, including but not limited to race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran/military status, and age, we are a stronger company and culture. We take pride in our talented and diverse team of people who focus on our customers, every day.
This webpage has since been scrubbed, and the URL now directs to a page about the company’s “culture” that does not mention DEI.
An article published on the Verizon website in 2021 stressed the importance of DEI for businesses:
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) are essential for securing business success now and in the future. Increasing diversity across characteristics such as race, nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability plays a key role in increasing creativity, innovation and empathy in organizations, which will be vital skills for the future of work.
The article has since been removed from Verizon’s website.
Webpages celebrating DEI-related awards that Verizon has received have also been scrubbed from the company’s website. In October 2021, Verizon celebrated being “shortlisted for International Diverse Company of the Year by the Diversity in Tech awards as an organization creating a more diverse workplace in the technology sector.” In July 2021, the company boasted that it was “named one of the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion, earning a perfect score on the 2021 Disability Equality Index.” In June 2021, Verizon celebrated that the Verizon India team “took home an impressive eight awards that recognized DEI efforts at JobsForHer’s DivHERsity Awards 2021.” All of these webpages have since been removed from the Verizon website.
Nice job Verizon!
Now that’s what I call incredible corporate leadership…what a bunch of spineless cowards.
Of course they lied, like so many of our supposed great American corporations, they tremble in fear of the Dear Leader and his quest to remake the world in his image - the undeserving, not terribly bright, titanically entitled, mediocre white male. And to think, they thought he would not pull their multibillion dollar contract to rebuild the FAA's communications systems and give it to the most mediocre of all white men, Elon Musk.