# Corporate America braces for DEI rollback under new Congress

> After Democrats swept the midterms, companies face pressure to retreat from diversity programs as the political climate shifts again.
- Title: Corporate America braces for DEI rollback under new Congress
- Summary: After Democrats swept the midterms, companies face pressure to retreat from diversity programs as the political climate shifts again.
- Keywords: dei, diversity, corporate america, workplace, 2026 midterms, alexandria ocasio-cortez, microsoft, alphabet, meta, affirmative action, Fastcompany
- Source: Fastcompany — https://fastcompany.com/91636761/what-woke-3-could-mean-for-the-workplace
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: dei, diversity, corporate america, workplace, 2026 midterms, alexandria ocasio-cortez, microsoft, alphabet, meta, affirmative action
## Democrats sweep midterms, sparking Woke 3.0 debate
Following Democratic victories in the midterms, the internet has anointed this moment as Woke 3.
## Ocasio-Cortez distances herself from progressivism
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently referenced this shift during a widely discussed interview in which she appeared to distance herself from that brand of progressivism, saying Woke 1 was crazy.

> Woke 1 was crazy.
## Woke 3.0 could reshape workplace diversity efforts
The election outcome could have real implications for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the workplace, despite social media discourse around Woke 3.0 focusing on pronouns and anti-AI rhetoric.
## Tech giants invested heavily in DEI after 2020
Back in 2020, corporate America appeared to take DEI seriously. Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta backed commitments with hundreds of millions of dollars, hired chief diversity officers for the first time, and made real investments in…
## Trump administration and courts shifted the climate
The Trump administration set its sights on the DEI movement and the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action. As public outcry over racial injustice faded, companies started to divest from DEI programs.
## Many companies paid only lip service to diversity
Many employers were so hasty in their attempts to publicly support DEI that they did not ensure there was enough structural support for those initiatives, or any real way of measuring progress.
## Easy retreat when political climate shifted
When the climate shifted, it was relatively easy for some companies to deprioritize DEI efforts.
## New Congress sworn in, uncertainty ahead
The article asks what the next era, Woke 3.0, could mean for DEI in the workplace as the new Congress is sworn in, but does not provide a definitive answer to that question.
## Key takeaway

Corporate America's diversity efforts face new pressure as political winds shift, with companies that made only surface commitments to DEI now positioned to retreat further.