Get woke, go broke—or get fired, as the case may be.
The Austrian-based parent corporation of the global energy drink company Red Bull isn’t playing around with woke politics in the workplace.
Perhaps setting a standard for others to follow, the firm canned its top North American executives this week for pushing Black Lives Matter politics and radical social justice initiatives in an attempt to reshape Red Bull’s internal culture and outward marketing.
The shake-up included North American CEO Stefan Kozak, as well as president and chief marketing officer Amy Taylor.
The firm also fired Florian Klaass—the global head of music, entertainment, and culture marketing—and dismantled cultural marketing teams in the UK and Canada.
The firings came weeks after Red Bull employees leaked a letter to the company’s Austrian leadership that criticized Red Bull’s “public silence” on Black Lives Matter protests and the so-called anti-racism movement.
The letter also claimed an offensive slide was shown at a company presentation, though it was clearly meant to be funny.
According to Business Insider, an anonymous source said the slide showed a world map that labeled the Middle East and Southeast Asia as “evil doers,” Europe as “p*ssies,” and South America as “coffee comes from here I think.”
Kozak and Taylor had reportedly been pushing “diversity and inclusion” programs throughout the North American branch for years. But their more recent attempt to rebrand the company with Black Lives Matter social radicalism was a step to far.
The company issued a statement to the Wall Street Journal, stating, “We reject racism in every form, we always have, and we always will.”
But it declined to expound further on the firings in specific detail.
“Red Bull has always put people and their dreams and accomplishments at its core and values the contribution of each and every person—no matter who they are,” the statement continued.
Red Bull has a long history of supporting black music and culture, among other forms of content. But that’s apparently not good enough in an age when radical politics are expected to be embraced.
