Amid lockdowns, riots, and Joe Biden being declared president, 2020 was a year tailor made for extremists.
And that’s also the year many corporations, including Disney, went all-in on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies that critics insist amount to nothing more than thinly veiled discrimination.
In the years since then, however, public sentiment has clearly changed. President Donald Trump’s 2024 victory seemed to seal the deal, and former longtime Disney employee Josh Daws recently described that election as a pivotal turning point for the company.
As TheBlaze reported:
Daws told one user that DEI at Disney “peaked in 2020” but has been in a “steady decline” since. “It’s much better internally now. The vibe shift is real,” he wrote.
The engineer told another questioner that he was not a fan of the company’s DEI infrastructure, adding that it has “toned it down a ton since Trump was elected.”
Daws also answered a question related to who he believes is responsible for the diversity push the company has gone through.
He answered questions covering a wide range of topics. But like anything in 2026, much of it hinged on politics … and Disney’s DEI stance in particular:
Very small and vocal minority of the company. Most folks just want to make cool stuff.
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) April 15, 2026
Peaked in 2020 and has been in steady decline since then. It’s much better internally now. The vibe shift is real.
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) April 15, 2026
Not a fan, but they’ve toned it down a ton since Trump was elected. The vibe shift is real.
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) April 15, 2026
I was in that “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” all hands. pic.twitter.com/S07640NN7h
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) April 15, 2026
Not enough but more than you might think.
— Josh Daws (@JoshDaws) April 15, 2026
Fox Business covered what Daws called Disney’s “vibe shift” in an article last year:
In the company’s 2025 Form 10-K filed after its recent Q4 meeting, the words “diversity,” “inclusion,” “DEI” or “diversity, equity and inclusion,” appeared zero times. While the term “equity” appeared about 130 times, it was only used in a financial context.
By contrast, the company’s 2024 SEC filing included a dedicated section on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
“Our DEI objectives are to build and sustain teams that reflect the life experiences of our audiences, while employing and supporting a diverse array of voices in our creative and production teams,” the 2024 report read.
Initiatives under that DEI section included programs to engage “creative executives from underrepresented backgrounds” and “over 100 employee-led groups which represent and support the diverse communities that make up our global workforce.”
Here’s some additional commentary on the company’s ongoing evolution:
What’s your view?
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