Whiskey brand Jack Daniels has cut diversity commitments after online threats from conservative influencer Robby Starbuck.
Starbuck obtained an email from Jack Daniel’s parent company, Brown Foreman, claiming the “world has evolved” and plans to transform its current program into a “strategic framework.” For Brown Foreman, this includes cutting ties with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and its Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which tracks how employers treat LGBTQ+ employees. The company is moving away from DEI outcomes and prioritizing tying employee and executive incentives to business performance.
Brown Foreman is not the only company that has made this kind of shift. Motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson recently announced a similar change due to social media outrage.
Brown Foreman’s new “framework” is especially surprising considering the progress made in the past few years. In 2023, the company earned a perfect score in the HRC’s equality index and was awarded by the HRC for its inclusion initiatives.
The HRC issued a statement criticizing Brown Foreman’s “shortsighted” decision, claiming the company “bowed to a fringe-right activist with zero business experience.”
Starbuck believes the company was tipped off by Starbuck’s team going through the Brown Foreman employees’ LinkedIn profiles.
Brown Foreman’s decision plays right into Starbuck’s trap. The conservative influencer is known as an anti-DEI activist with the goal of taking down companies and forcing them to comply with his beliefs. Starbuck thrives on social media content and weaponizes his fans and followers to bully and boycott the companies he wants to target.
Succumbing to Starbuck and similar influencers/groups rejects a changing culture that aims for equality and inclusion. While Starbuck and his fans have immense power on the internet, letting him dictate business decisions comes with backlash. It isolates employees and upsets other audiences, specifically Generation Z and the LGBTQ+ community. According to HRDrive, after Tractor Supply announced DEI cuts, “the retailer faced backlash from the National Black Farmer’s Association and its consumer base.”
While Brown Foreman and Jack Daniels still plan to “foster an inclusive work environment,” it may be hard for people to believe these efforts considering these recent developments.
Image Courtesy of Jack Daniels
