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AT&T is eliminating its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, becoming the latest company to end the policy, as the Trump administration continues to push for the nationwide elimination of the practices.
The telecommunications giant, which has 100,000 U.S. employees, wrote a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr on Monday saying it would end its DEI-related policies following recent shifts in the legal landscape regarding such programs.
“AT&T has always stood for merit-based opportunity, and we are pleased that today we can reaffirm our commitment to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination,” wrote David McAtee, senior executive vice president and general counsel at AT&T. “In accordance with applicable law, our multifaceted approach ensures that employees can thrive in an environment free from objectionable discrimination.”
The New York Post reported that AT&T’s training previously called racism a “uniquely white trait” and that white employees were told that they “are the problem,” according to City Journal’s Christopher Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
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FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has pledged to use every tool at his disposal to eliminate the DEI programs of the companies his agency regulates. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/Getty Images)
AT&T’s announcement came after a number of companies, including Amazon, Meta, Lowe’s and McDonald’s, withdrew their own DEI programs.
Both major cell phone companies, Verizon Communications and T-Mobile, have also ended their programs.
President Donald Trump closed all DEI offices across the federal government during his first week in office, and Carr has pledged to use every tool at his disposal to eliminate the programs of the companies his agency regulates.
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President Donald Trump closed all DEI offices across the federal government during his first week in office.
AT&T agreed in November 2024 to buy some wireless spectrum licenses from US Cellular in a $1.02 billion deal that requires FCC approval, according to Reuters.
On Tuesday, Carr posted on
The company said in its letter to the FCC that it would no longer have a role focused on DEI, writing that “AT&T’s longstanding practice is to pay and advance individuals based on merit and qualification.”
“Our recruiting, training and career development opportunities are not and will not be based on or limited by race, gender or other protected characteristics,” McAtee wrote.
He added that AT&T will not use hiring quotas based on race, gender or sexual orientation and that the company has eliminated all DEI training.
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AT&T announced Monday that it is eliminating its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. (Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/Getty Images)
