Thousands of diversity and equity officers have been laid off, and left-wing activists are panicking, WSJ reports

Left-wing activists are panicking as companies and corporations are choosing to lower their commitment to diversity and equity, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

The report said that thousands of diversity-focused workers have been laid off in the last year after many companies had rushed to prove that they were implementing diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

“There’s a combination of grief, being very tired, and being, in some cases, overwhelmed,” said Miriam Warren, a diversity officer at Yelp.

The report cites "frequent social-media firestorms" to explain why some companies are pivoting away from hiring DEI officers.

Those may include the Bud Light debacle over trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney and the backlash against Target selling LGBTQ-themed products by a designer who promotes satanism and violence.

According to one estimate, the DEI industry ballooned to $3.4 billion in 2020. Since then, chief diversity officers are experiencing 40% higher turnover as compared to other positions, according to one study.

A separate study found that searches of chief diversity officer have dropped by 75% over the last year. One HR hiring expert said it was the lowest demand he had seen in 30 years.

“They’re telling us, the only way I want to go into another role with DEI is if it includes something else," explained Jason Hanold.

The WSJ report mirrored complaints from LGBTQ activists that companies weren't calling on them during this year's Pride Month like they were in previous years. One activist whined that the usefulness of "white guilt" had run out at these companies.

Critics of DEI, like journalist Cristopher Rufo, praised the development reported in the WSJ.

"We are crushing the DEI industry," tweeted Rufo in part. "But this is just the beginning: we will not stop until DEI is abolished from American life."

Here's more about the DEI disaster:

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: DEI Training’s Unintended Consequenceswww.youtube.com

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!