‘Diversity’ Becomes ‘Belonging’ as Companies Shift DEI Lingo

References to “DEI” and “diversity, equity and inclusion” in corporate annual reports to shareholders have dropped by more than half so far this year amid a Trump administration crackdown on such efforts.

The acronym “DEI” appeared in 10-K reports 180 times from January 1 to March 12, down 55% from 396 times in the same date range the year before, according to a review of 10-K annual reports by Bloomberg Law. References over the same time frames for “diversity, equity and inclusion” fell 57% to 422 from 991 the year before.

Companies from Delta Air Lines Inc. to Bank of ...