📝 4 comms lessons (and templates) from 2 DEI rollback memos (Insider Comms™)

Amazon and Meta made the same controversial move two different ways

Two tech giants rolled back their DEI programs. Their drastically different communication approaches reveal how to tread through a delicate political environment.

Amazon and Meta both announced major changes to their diversity programs in recent months. But how they announced these changes showcases a fascinating study in contrast.

• Remind me: This month Meta announced an end to its diverse slate hiring approach and disbanded its DEI team. Last December Amazon said it was “winding down outdated programs” as part of a broader initiative review.

• Candi Castleberry, VP of inclusive experiences and technology signed Amazon’s memo while Meta’s was sent by Janelle Gale, VP of people.

What's revealing is how they communicate the end of their programs. Their memos demonstrate two radically different approaches to delivering contentious news in an era where every “internal” message is essentially public.

• Mixternal much?

While both companies made the same decisions, their communication strategies couldn't be more different:

• Amazon opted for strategic ambiguity, wrapping changes in corporate process-speak.

• Meta went for detailed transparency, spelling out specific program cuts.

• Both approaches are risky.

What emerges is a rare comparative case study in the tensions facing today’s comms pros:

• How do you write for employees knowing your memo will leak?

• When does transparency help—and when does it create headline headaches?

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Why This Matters Now

As President Trump settles into his second term, U.S.-based corporate comms teams are bracing for a wave of cultural and policy changes that will demand careful messaging.

🥊 DEI is the first fight.

• Trump ordered all federal DEI employees placed on paid leave.

• In the U.S. McDonald’s, Lowe’s, Target, Tractor Supply, and Walmart are a handful of well-known companies that have curtailed or eliminated DEI efforts.

• Yes, but companies like Cisco, Costco, Microsoft, Pinterest, JPMorgan, and Apple are defending DEI.

🔍 The DEI rollback memos analyzed below offer valuable lessons for what’s potentially ahead:

• They preview how comms could handle controversial policy shifts.

• They demonstrate techniques for balancing multiple, mixternal stakeholders.

• They show how to (attempt to) maintain company values while adapting to new realities.

🖼️ The big picture: These won’t be isolated incidents. As more companies re-evaluate their DEI programs and prepare for potential policy changes, especially around immigration, comms teams need proven frameworks and language for simultaneously delivering sensitive news to multiple audiences.

• Seriously. Buckle up. The next four years are gonna be cray cray.

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In this edition of Insider Comms™, I analyze how Amazon and Meta navigated DEI comms challenges, including:

• ☑️ Why Amazon and Meta took opposite approaches (and which was better)

• ☑️ The hidden audiences both memos actually address

• ☑️ A contrast in how much detail to include

• ☑️ Four key lessons for comms pros facing similar challenges

• ☑️ Four language templates you can use to frame a controversial move around DEI

• ☑️ The full memos from both companies

Let's go.

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