In an internal email shared with Bloomberg by Starbuck, the carmaker said that it would pull out of certain diversity rankings, such as the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.
The company also said that it would reorient its employee resource groups to make them accessible to all staff. Ford also pledged to be less involved in political matters and changed some corporate sponsorships.
Ford faced backlash last month after it saw quality issues and vehicle recalls.
Starbuck wrote in a post on X that Ford’s withdrawal from DEI initiatives came just as he was investigating Ford’s “woke policies.”
Meanwhile, the HRC said that Ford “cowered” to Starbuck and that the company had “decades of commitment to inclusion and top ratings on the HRC Corporate Equality Index.”
“The Human Rights Campaign could not be more disappointed to see the company shirking its responsibility to its employees, consumers, and shareholders,” said HRC president Kelley Robinson in a statement.