Many people seem happy about Verizon and Google being investigated by the government

Verizon and Google are being investigated by the Department of Justice for fraud, as both companies engaged in DEI-led (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hiring practices. And though DEI practices were often heralded as a major win during the Biden administration, almost half of you seem happy that Google and Verizon are being held responsible for alleged discriminatory practices.

Did Google and Verizon engage in discrimination?

According to a recent poll, almost 47 percent of you believe that both Verizon and Google deserve to be penalized for discriminatory practices. This belief is backed up by the comments, where some of you explained how certain eligible job applicants were not given work because of racial quotas.

Only around 19 percent of you think that Google and Verizon don’t deserve to be investigated because they ended the DEI programs as asked. Meanwhile, 34 percent of voters took the somewhat neutral position of arguing that Google and Verizon should not be investigated because they were just complying with the previous administration’s policies. What do you think?

A stricter punishment for failure to comply

The investigation by the DOJ gives out a new warning: comply with our revised policies, or face legal action. Some companies might still want to hold on to remnants of DEI-led hiring practices. When the Trump administration initially started pressuring companies to end these programs, Apple released a statement about how diversity would always have a place at Cupertino.

The investigation into Google and Verizon takes that aforementioned pressure beyond a mere suggestion, no matter how stern said suggestion might have seemed. Now, other major and even smaller companies know that they face legal threats if they fail to conform to the new normal.

Is this all a temporary pause?

The question that comes to my mind is whether any of this is going to actually stick. Will different U.S. administrations remain engaged in a game of introducing their own policies and rolling back the previous government’s initiatives in a display of pointless theater?

If the next administration is a vastly different one, will it then reintroduce DEI programs and punish those companies that do not comply? After all, any losses incurred by these companies will likely be passed on to the end consumer.

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