Skip to content
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
Insurance Journal - Property Casualty Industry News

Featured Stories

  • Lemonade Posts Another Quarterly Loss
  • Tesla Must Pay $243M Over Fatal Autopilot Crash
  • Articles
  • Jobs
  • Markets

Current Magazine

current magazine
  • Read Online
  • Subscribe
  • Login
  • Front Page
    • National
    • International
    • Most Popular
    • Magazine
    • Forums
    • Blogs
    • Videos/Podcasts
    • Newsletters
  • News
    • Most Popular
    • National
    • International
    • East
    • Midwest
    • South Central
    • Southeast
    • West
  • Magazines
  • Research
  • Directories
  • Jobs
  • Features
    • Events
    • Forums
    • Market Directories
    • Quotes
    • Polls
    • Rankings & Awards
    • Insurance Giving Back
  • Subscribe

Tesla Drops Minority-Worker Language After Musk’s Rants Over Diversity Initiatives

By Richard Clough | February 1, 2024
Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Article

Tesla Inc. removed language about minority workers and supporting employee resource groups from one of its regulatory filings after Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s recent comments criticizing diversity initiatives.

In its latest 10-K filing released early Monday, Tesla omitted a line from a year ago that read: “With a majority-minority workforce, empowering our employee resource groups to take charge in driving initiatives that attract, develop and retain our passionate workforce is vital to our continued success.”

Musk has repeatedly denounced diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in recent weeks on social media, calling them “literally the definition of racism.” In another post on X, the social network he owns, Musk said “DEI must DIE,” referring to the acronym for diversity policies.

A DEI backlash in the US has gained steam after the Supreme Court banned race-based admissions in higher education. While the ruling didn’t cover businesses, many have become become less vocal on the issue and are reconsidering diversity recruitment and hiring programs.

Musk also sparked controversy last year after he endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory on X. The comment and accusations that racism proliferates on the platform led to various companies pausing advertising. Musk has since tried to counter accusations of antisemitism, including by visiting Auschwitz.

The latest filing still notes that Tesla’s human-resources policies are designed to “promote fairness and respect for everyone,” and the company says it won’t tolerate discrimination over race, religion, sexual orientation or other characteristics.

Diversity has long been a sensitive issue for the carmaker, even before Musk’s condemnation of DEI. Tesla has faced numerous complaints and lawsuits over racial discrimination and other forms of harassment at its plant in Fremont, California.

The state’s civil rights regulator sued the company in 2022 after finding a pattern of mistreatment of Black workers at the facility near San Francisco. Tesla has pushed back against what it called a “misguided” suit. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a similar case against the company.

Tesla isn’t the only company to publicly pull back on commitments to diversity. McDonald’s Corp. removed the term ESG — referring to environmental, social and corporate governance policies — from parts of its website last summer. Attacks from conservative activists have led to a scaling back of DEI programs at a handful of organizations, including Pfizer Inc.

Related: Corporate America Is Rethinking Diversity Hiring as Legal Challenges Rise

America First Legal, founded by Stephen Miller, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, has filed EEOC letters against more than 20 companies, including American Airlines Group Inc., Macy’s Inc., McDonald’s and Salesforce Inc. The group argues that efforts to hire and promote more women and people of color are discriminatory.

Photo: Photo by Omar Marques/Getty Images

Copyright 2025 Bloomberg.

Topics Tesla

Was this article valuable?

Thank you! Please tell us what we can do to improve this article.

Thank you! % of people found this article valuable. Please tell us what you liked about it.

Here are more articles you may enjoy.

Interest rates and dividends Business development with percentagNew Law Orders Louisiana Insurers to Show Prior Policy Premiums
Some Large Accounts Start Seeing Chubb’s Back as it Focuses on Middle, Small
Demotech’s Petrelli Responds to WSJ Article. Others Say it Echoes Old Concerns
Florida OIR Approves 31.5% ‘Catch-up’ Rate Increase for TRUE, Despite Missed Filings

Written By Richard Clough

More From Author

Interested in Diversity?

Get automatic alerts for this topic.

Email This Subscribe to Newsletter
  • Categories: National NewsTopics: diversity equity inclusion (DEI), Elon Musk, environmental social governance (ESG, Tesla
  • Have a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk@insurancejournal.com
More News
Louisiana Department of Insurance Launches Enhanced Mobile App
Insurtech Root Swings to Q2 Profit on Growth in Partnership Channel
Human Responses: Did Jurors React to Musk in Damage Award Against Tesla?
Neptune Flood: 77% of At-Risk Homes Outside FEMA Zones Have No Flood Insurance
More News Features

Read This Next

  • Tesla Drops Minority-Worker Language After Musk's Rants Over Diversity Initiatives
  • H1 Natural Disasters Had Insured Price Tag of $80B - Driven by US Claims: Munich Re
  • Human Responses: Did Jurors React to Musk in Damage Award Against Tesla?
  • Verisk's $2.35B Buy of AccuLynx 'Natural Fit' for Claims Management Solutions
  • New Law Orders Louisiana Insurers to Show Prior Policy Premiums

Insurance Jobs

  • Sales Agent - Encino, California
  • Insurance Account Executive/Manager Wanted Flexible Hours, Potential Equity - Dix Hills/Deer Park, NY
  • Contract Lead Consultant- REMOTE - Remote, IL
  • SOC Analyst - Saint Paul, MN
  • Counsel, Claim - Morristown, NJ
MyNewMarkets
  • DIY Home Inspections Are Taking Over, Firms Say
  • Six Things to Know About Umbrella Insurance
  • What to Know About Construction and Environmental Liability
  • How Embedded Insurance Supports Real Livelihoods in the Growing On-Demand Economy
  • How to Keep Third-Party Events from Becoming First-Party Losses
Claims Journal
  • J&J Talc Evidence Gets Review by Ex-Judge at Drugmaker Law Firm
  • BHP, Vale Offer $1.4B Settlement in Lawsuit Over Brazil Dam Disaster
  • New Report Finds 77% of At-Risk Homes Outside FEMA Zones Have No Flood Insurance
  • US Auto Safety Regulator Sought Tesla Robotaxi Ride Last Month
  • Zurich Insurance Beats Estimates Despite LA Wildfire Hit
Academy of Insurance education
  • August 7 EPLI Basics
  • August 14 Managing and Insuring Reputational Risk
  • August 19 How To Write: Flood
  • August 21 Workers' Comp Crash Course

Insurance News

  • News by Region
  • News by Topic
  • Yesterday

Site Search

Features

  • Insurance Markets Directory
  • Forums
  • A.M. Best Company Ratings
  • Industry Events
  • Agencies For Sale
  • Newswire
  • Insurance Jobs
  • Rankings & Awards

Connect with us

  • Email Newsletters
  • Magazine Subscriptions
  • For Your Website
  • RSS Feeds
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Do Not Sell My Info

Insurance Journal

  • Submit News
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Reprints
  • Link to Us
  • Contact Us

Wells Media Group Network

  • Insurance Journal
  • MyNewMarkets.com
  • Claims Journal
  • Insurance Journal TV
  • Academy of Insurance
  • Carrier Management
© 2025 by Wells Media Group, Inc. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Site Map