Roy Austin, Meta’s Civil Rights Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, resigned amid the company stating it would shut down its DEI programs.
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In a post, Austin said it was time for him to embark on the next step of his career and stated his gratitude for the opportunities working for Meta. “My journey at this Company has been an incredible chapter in my life, and I’m grateful that Mark and Sheryl gave me this opportunity. I was drawn to this Company because of its vast reach and potential to make a meaningful impact on the lives of billions,” the statement reads.
Austin continued to say that he wanted to be “part of an effort that would bring about positive change,” particularly for those who are in marginalized and oppressed communities. “The opportunity to contribute to creating a more just and equitable world, even in a small way, has been a driving force for me,” the post continues. Austin also thanked his team and said he would remain at the company until the end of March.
Hours before Austin’s announcement, Meta said in a statement that it would be shutting its DEI programs in an internal memo.
“At Meta, we have a principle of serving everyone. This can be achieved through cognitively diverse teams, with differences in knowledge, skills, political views, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Such teams are better at innovating, solving complex problems and identifying new opportunities which ultimately helps us deliver on our ambition to build products that serve everyone. On top of that, we’ve always believed that no one should be given — or deprived — of opportunities because of protective characteristics, and that has not changed.”