(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Jack Daniel’s whiskey maker said it would eliminate its DEI initiatives, responding to pressure from conservatives on social media who announced the war against woke companies by launching multiple boycotts.
The New York Post reported that Brown-Forman Corp. — with a market capitalization of $21.37 billion — is the latest company to scrap its DEI program, following Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply and John Deere.
Major companies relying heavily on consumers in red states have been caving to boycott pressure from corporate activist Robby Starbuck, who said Jack Daniel’s was next on the list. However, he didn’t get the chance to lead the boycott because the company reversed its policies as soon as the company heard that it was on the list.
“We’re now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting just [because they fear being] the next company that we expose,” Starbuck wrote in one of his posts on social media.
Big news: The next company we were set to expose was @JackDaniels_US.
They must have been tipped off by us going through employee LinkedIn pages.
They just preemptively announced that they’ll be making these changes:
• Ending participation in the @HRC’s Corporate Equality… pic.twitter.com/0O1DkkIKrO
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 22, 2024
According to a copy of an internal memo, Brown-Forman will stop linking bonuses and pay to DEI progress, end its participation in an annual ranking of companies that support LGBT people and abandon its plans to push for a more diverse group of suppliers.
A 2023 annual report previously revealed that the company tied 10% of executives’ short-term compensation to progress on DEI goals.
The Kentucky-based company was conquered by leftist activists in 2019 when it launched its DEI goals.
“Since then, the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically, particularly within the United States. With these new dynamics at play, we must adjust our work to ensure it continues to drive business results while appropriately recognizing the current environment in which we find ourselves,” company executives told employees in a letter on Aug. 21, 2024.
On Aug. 22, 2024, Brown-Forman shares dipped less than 1%.
Tesla, Home Depot and Walmart have eliminated their DEI leadership goals since consumers threatened them with boycotts.
Target and Bud Light, the other two infamous woke companies, also caved to the boycotts from conservative Americans.
