In the spring of 2020, just days after police murdered George Floyd on a Minneapolis street, Blackrock Inc. CEO Laurence Fink said, “No organization is immune from the challenges posed by racial bias. As a firm committed to racial equality, we must also consider where racial disparity exists in our own organizations and not tolerate our shortcomings.”

While Fink was just one of the countless business leaders that spoke in support of racial justice that summer and committed to change, that echo now seems faint. Just five years later, BlackRock, and at least 50 other companies have walked back or abandoned their commitments to racial equality and DEI.

The future of corporate DEI initiatives is uncertain as the federal government has threatened private businesses over anything that could be viewed as “DEI,” although the administration hasn’t clarified which activities that term includes.

For more on what’s happened since those racial equity pledges following Floyd’s murder, keep reading here.—KP

AI momentum is moving forward. More than 40% of US businesses are leveraging paid subscriptions to AI models, platforms, and tools, according to the Ramp AI index, which measures AI adoption among American businesses. That’s more than double the adoption since this time last year.

As employers grapple with AI enablement, HR leaders have emerged as central figures helping teams manage the integration of AI into the workforce.

For HR departments, with leaders already fluent in compliance, risk, and change management, it’s a natural—if accelerated—extension of their responsibilities.

For more on how HR leaders can play a key role in the AI transformation, keep reading here.—AD

Verizon agreed to end its DEI programming last week to win approval of a deal with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in a move that signals what the Trump administration may want from private businesses.

In September 2024, Verizon announced it planned to acquire Frontier Communications in an all-cash deal valued at $20 billion, with the expectation to close following regulatory approval.

Telecommunications giant Verizon, which has around 100,000 employees, agreed to disband its DEI team and programming in response to a February communication from the FCC “raising concerns with Verizon’s DEI practices,” according to a May 15 letter from Vandana Venkatesh, EVP and chief legal officer of Verizon, to Brendan Carr, the current FCC chair.

The FCC approved the acquisition on May 16, the following day.

For more on Verizon’s DEI-related changes and the uncertain aftermath, keep reading here.—KP

From paperwork to people strategy—HR has come a long way. See how talent leaders navigated 25 years of change, from the rise of LinkedIn to the push for culture-first workplaces.

This story is part of our quarter-century project reflecting on 25 years in the HR industry. Explore the full quarter-century timeline here.