Meta has joined the ranks of major companies that are scaling back or, in its case, terminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. In a memo sent on Friday, Jan. 10, through Meta’s internal communications tool Workplace,

Among the changes, Meta is ending the company’s “Diverse Slate Approach” of considering qualified candidates from underrepresented groups for its open roles.

Meta says it's changing course on DEI because the "legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing."

Meta is ending its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI, the company said Friday, becoming the latest company to pull back from such practices in the wake of pressure from conservative critics and customers.

Meta’s vice president of human resources announced the company would cut its DEI team and end its goal of choosing business suppliers from “diverse-owned” businesses “effective immediately.”

Meta on Friday said it would be ending its DEI programs to focus on building programs that "mitigate bias for all."

The end of the company's DEI efforts means that it will no longer use a "diverse slate approach," which it began implementing in 2015. According to a 2017 blog post on Meta's website about the strategy, it "sets the expectation that hiring managers will consider candidates from underrepresented backgrounds when interviewing for an open position."

Meta told employees Friday it will cut its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) team and roll back several related programs, marking another major shift in policy for the leading social media

"The term 'DEI' has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others," Meta said in a memo to employees.

Meta employees took to an internal forum, viewed by Business Insider, to vent disappointment and anger over DEI roll back.