Elon Musk dismisses diversity, equity, and inclusion as ‘propaganda terms’
The CEO and majority shareholder of Tesla, a prominent electric-vehicle manufacturer, is a billionaire. Tesla has previously claimed that underrepresented communities constitute the majority of its workforce in the United States. However, the company did not provide any response to inquiries regarding Musk’s opinions, which he expressed on the social media platform X that he owns.
Tesla, headquartered in Austin with factories in California, Nevada, Texas and New York, released its first-ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report in December 2020. More recently, DEI efforts have been part of the electric vehicle maker’s annual impact report.
Tesla has held recruiting events targeting women and students at 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 in 2022 the company launched a national internal DEI newsletter.
In February 2022, the California Office of Civil Rights 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 exposing black workers to “severe or pervasive racial harassment.”
“Inclusion is everyone’s responsibility,” Tesla said in its impact report. “Employees are exposed to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) principles from day one and are encouraged to join ERGG teams led by passionate individuals who care about creating a strong community experience at Tesla.”
