Aerospace giant Boeing has decided to disband its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) department, according to a report by anti-DEI activist Christopher Rufo. Rufo announced the development last Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that internal pressures might have influenced the new CEO’s decision to shut down the department. Rufo had previously criticized Boeing’s DEI strategy, arguing that it was diminishing competence within the company.
Bloomberg News confirmed the restructuring, noting that staff from the DEI office will merge with another human resources team focusing on talent and employee experience. Sara Liang Bowen, the Boeing vice president responsible for the former DEI department, left the company in conjunction with departmental changes.
Boeing has seen a slew of scandals in recent years relating to the safety of their aircraft. The Boeing 737 Max has seen several crashes, including two that occurred within months of each other in Indonesia and Ethiopia, killing a total of 346 people.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) identified a serious fault in 292 Boeing 777 aircraft earlier this year, noting that the faults could lead the planes’s engines to explode in mid-air flight.
Sam Salehpour, a Boeing engineer, warned the United States Senate in April that it was only a matter of time before a major aviation disaster occurred as aircraft were not being constructed to proper requirements.
