The sensitivity of the term DEI came to the forefront earlier this month at Austin's annual South by Southwest conference. There, Google and Oracle had been slated to participate in a panel, originally titled "Successful Workplaces: Balancing Growth and Well-Being."
"Attendees will leave with actionable insights to align business success with a thriving workplace culture," an early description of the panel noted.
Oracle dropped out from the panel in February. That month, panel organizers informed participating companies that they were considering changing the focus of the conversation to the state of DEI in the workplace.