A memo from Meta says DEI has become ‘charged’ because such practices are seen as delivering ‘preferential treatment of some groups over others.’

Meta is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI, the company said Friday, becoming the latest company to pull back from such practices in the wake of pressure from conservative critics and customers.

Among the changes, Meta is ending the company’s “Diverse Slate Approach” of considering qualified candidates from underrepresented groups for its open roles.

The end of the company's DEI efforts means that it will no longer use a "diverse slate approach," which it began implementing in 2015. According to a 2017 blog post on Meta's website about the strategy, it "sets the expectation that hiring managers will consider candidates from underrepresented backgrounds when interviewing for an open position."

Meta on Friday said it would be ending its DEI programs to focus on building programs that "mitigate bias for all."

Meta’s vice president of human resources announced the company would cut its DEI team and end its goal of choosing business suppliers from “diverse-owned” businesses “effective immediately.”

Meta employees took to an internal forum, viewed by Business Insider, to speak out about the DEI rollback.

DEI has become a major topic of debate in recent months, and Meta joins a growing number of major companies getting rid of their programs.