McDonald’s Slashes ‘Woke’ Policies In Major Company-Wide Shift

McDonald’s is making waves with a dramatic shift in its corporate policies, stepping back from “woke” practices. In a significant announcement, the fast-food giant outlined a series of changes aimed at prioritizing neutrality and merit over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

The changes come after public pressure from influential voices, including conservative commentator Robby Starbuck, who recently spotlighted the company’s DEI practices. According to Starbuck, McDonald’s revealed that it will no longer enforce diversity “goals” in hiring, a practice that had drawn criticism as a de facto quota system. These goals previously sought to ensure representation of various demographics within the workforce. Starbuck, like many others, argued the approach discriminated against certain groups, particularly white job applicants.

“McDonald’s, like many Fortune 500 companies, they have what they would call targets or goals. In reality, they work like racial quotas but they say these are certainly not quotas,” Starbuck explained in a video on X. “Imagine that, a merit-based system. This is what every company needs to be doing. The days of favoring one group of people over another based on diversity need to be gone.”

McDonald’s is the latest corporation to distance itself from controversial DEI practices, joining a growing list of companies choosing neutrality over activism. The company also announced it will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. This scoring system, often linked to progressive workplace policies, has been criticized for pushing a “trans agenda” into corporate spaces.

WATCH:

BIG news: @McDonalds is ending a number of woke DEI policies today. Now let me tell you what’s changing and how it happened.

3 days ago I told McDonald’s that I’d be doing a story on woke policies there. Today they’ve announced the following changes:

• Hiring: They will END… pic.twitter.com/bvFglf6pxw

— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 6, 2025

In recent years, the company has prioritized inclusivity in its advertising, featuring diverse casts and celebrating various cultural milestones. It has also taken public stances on social justice issues, such as supporting Black Lives Matter and committing to increased representation of women and minorities in leadership roles. On the environmental front, McDonald’s has introduced sustainability efforts, including plant-based menu options like the McPlant and ambitious net-zero emissions goals.

By exiting this framework, McDonald’s aims to focus on internal practices rather than external ratings. Supplier diversity pledges are also being retired. The company stated it will prioritize merit-based criteria when selecting suppliers, eliminating the DEI-driven quotas previously in place.

In addition, McDonald’s is restructuring its diversity team, which will now operate under the banner of “global inclusion.” While the company claims this evolution simplifies its mission, critics like Starbuck argue it’s a superficial rebranding and that such teams are unnecessary distractions from core business objectives.

“We are the trend now. Don’t forget that,” Starbuck said on X. “Because we have raised our voices so many companies over two trillion dollars of companies have changed their policies and we will not stop until we make corporate America sane again.” He added, “We have raised our voices, so many companies, over two trillion dollars of companies, have changed their policies, and we will not stop until we make corporate America sane again.”