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The advocacy groups and corporate engagement advisors who called on Apple to abandon diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives hit back against a failed shareholder vote to nix the respective programs.
During Tuesday’s shareholder meeting, voters made clear they didn’t want to scrap DEI initiatives at the tech company after the Apple board urged them to vote “no” on proposals asking the tech corporation to evaluate its contributions to progressive groups and end diversity programs, policies, departments and goals.
“For far too long, Americans with mainstream religious and political views have watched from the sidelines while the very companies we rely on—and in many cases, own through our investment and retirement portfolios—have been weaponized against us,” Alliance Defending Freedom SVP of Corporate Engagement Jeremy Tedesco said following the vote. “But that is changing. We’re off the sidelines and in the game. Today’s meeting at Apple leaves no doubt that we are beginning to set the agenda for the corporations we own.”
“Unfortunately, Apple executives have not shown a willingness to provide a basic level of transparency to their own shareholders,” he continued.
Proposal 6, found within Apple’s “Notice of 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders,” suggested that these practices pose “obvious risks” and that the company’s omission of “equity” from program titles is “meaningless” since it still expresses multiple explicit commitments to “equity.” Stefan Padfield, executive director of the National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project (FEP), who put forth the proposal, also claimed that Apple’s policies are consistent with, “if not more radical than” most corporate DEI programs.
A proposal to abolish DEI at Apple failed to pass on Tuesday following a vote by shareholders. (Getty Images/iStock / Getty Images)
He also highlighted how Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and Zoom as just a handful of companies that have rolled back DEI efforts.
During the meeting, Padfield claimed DEI ideology “routinely discriminates on the basis of race, sex, and other demographic categories,” calling the programs “illegal and immoral.”
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“The vibe shift is clear. DEI is out. Merit is in,” he said, referencing President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on diversity programs.
Meanwhile, Proposal 7, entered by Wayne Frantzen, who Inspire Investing LLC represents, criticized Apple’s contributions to progressive organizations. The vote to analyze and evaluate Apple’s “charitable givings” to these groups also failed to pass.
The proposal, in part, criticized Apple’s contributions to groups like the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which the shareholder says uses its “hate map” and “hate watch” to target political and religious groups, as well as individuals. In particular, SPLC criticisms specifically target Moms for Liberty, The Family Research Council, Dr. Ben Carson and more.
Inspire Investing CEO Robert Netzly also highlighted the HRC’s requirements regarding sex-reassignment therapies for children.
“The HRC currently requires that companies pay for life-altering and experimental puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones for children as part of their healthcare plan to earn a coveted 100 percent on its so-called ‘Corporate Equality Index,'” CEO of Inspire Investing Robert Netzly said in a press conference following the vote.. “The HRC index touts 765 businesses—including Apple—that bow to this demand, but it couldn’t be further out of step with most shareholders.”
US President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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“Nearly 7 in 10 Americans oppose puberty blockers for young children and the U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering whether to uphold a Tennessee law protecting children from this practice, with similar laws in a total of 27 states likely affected by the decision,” he added.
The shareholder proposal pointed to companies, including Walmart, Target, John Deere, Harley Davidson, Lowes, Home Depot, Ford and Toyota that have already taken steps to refocus their charitable giving to respect the diverse views held by their customers and employees. Many have also cut ties with the HRC as part of this effort.
“It’s not too much for shareholders to request transparency on how the companies we own are spending our money,” Netzly said. “We invest in Apple because of the excellence in goods and services the company provides—not because we want them to fund groups that undermine our freedoms and advocate for radical policies that we oppose with every fiber of our being.”
“We hope other companies learn from Apple’s mistakes,” he added. “Rather than running from their own shareholders, it’s time for company leaders to look us in the eye and provide meaningful transparency.”
Earlier this week, the Apple board recommended that shareholders vote “no” on proposals 6 and 7. Their statements, among other things, stressed that the board and management maintain active oversight of legal and regulatory risks and compliance for global business. The board also called the two proposals “unnecessary” and inappropriate attempts to restrict Apple’s ordinary business operations.
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The 2024 edition of the Viewpoint Diversity Score Business Index, a project of ADF, claimed that 62% of scored companies, including Apple, support nonprofits that are influencing public policy by actively attacking free speech and religious freedom.
Tedesco, looking back on the failed proposals, suggested the fight will continue.
“It’s not a matter of adopting the proposal,” he said. “It’s a matter of setting the agenda at the shareholder meeting and with corporate leaders around the things that shareholders are concerned about. This doesn’t end just because Apple doesn’t produce the report or adopt the proposal. This is the beginning of a conversation and it’s going to be a long one until we see the changes that we want from this company.”
Fox News Digital reached out to HRC, SPLC and Apple for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Fox News’ Nik Lanum contributed to this report.
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