SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 10 -- Meta on Friday announced the end of its DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs.

Janelle Gale, Meta's vice president of people, made the announcement at the company's Workplace internal communications forum.

"The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing," Gale said, adding that given the shifting legal and policy landscape, the company is making the changes.

Among the changes, Meta is ending the company's "Diverse Slate Approach" of considering qualified candidates from underrepresented groups for its open roles. The company is also putting an end to its diversity supplier program and its equity and inclusion training programs. Gale also announced the disbanding of the company's DEI team.

The DEI policy change follows several policy reversals by the company this month. Last week, Meta replaced global affairs chief Nick Clegg with Joel Kaplan, who has longstanding ties to the Republican Party. On Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the end of the Third-Party Fact-Checking Program on its platforms.

  - Xinhua