Since anti-DEI provocateurs began gaining attention and influence, some DEI leaders have had to pivot, making hard funding and strategy choices. Some have continued the practice under a different name, while others have fought openly to protect DEI work in their organizations.

Employers have had to make similarly tough decisions, often bending to unclear directives from the White House or federal agencies.

Some practitioners have debated the terminology. Many acknowledge that the DEI ideals of 2020 didn’t achieve their goals. Now, the industry is focused on what’s next.

How Equality Wins by NYU Law School’s Kenji Yoshino, a constitutional law professor, and David Glasgow, executive director at the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, tries to provide some perspective and answers.

For more on what Yoshino and Glasgow believe may be a new path forward for DEI, keep reading here.—KP

Virginia lawmakers recently passed legislation to establish a paid family and medical leave (PFML) program in the state.

The bill, which Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is expected to sign into law, would grant nearly all workers in the state up to 12 weeks of paid leave. If the bill is enacted, Virginia will be the 14th US state to establish a PFML program.

Employers and employees will both contribute to a fund established by Virginia’s state treasury in order to run the program. Contribution rates will be set by the state on an annual basis, and small employers with 10 or fewer workers won’t be required to pay their contribution share.

Contributions will start on April 1, 2028, and workers can start taking leave through the program on Dec. 1, 2028. Workers will be entitled to receive up to 80% of their wages under the program.

For more on the program, and how it fits into the paid family leave landscape, keep reading here.—CV

Meta is reportedly planning its biggest layoffs since the 2022–2023 restructuring. Unlike last time, which was framed as a correction for pandemic overhiring, this round has everything to do with AI. If it happens, it makes Meta the latest in a slew of companies laying off workers while ramping up AI operations—and signals the efficiency push never really ended; AI just gave it a new cover.

What happened? Reuters reported on Friday that Meta is considering laying off around 20% of its nearly 79,000-person workforce—that’s a potential 15,000 jobs or more. It cited three anonymous sources, two of whom said top execs have already begun signaling the plans to senior leaders, asking them to start figuring out how to cut back.

If the 20% figure holds, it would be the single largest round of cuts in the company's history—deeper as a share of headcount than either of the two rounds in 2022 and 2023, which totaled around 21,000 jobs across both. A Meta spokesperson called the report "speculative reporting about theoretical approaches," which is the corporate equivalent of not a denial.

The company it keeps. This is part of a fast-moving pattern across Big Tech.

For more on Meta’s AI play, keep reading on Tech Brew.—SM

If you’ve realized your HR tech stack is showing, this one’s for you. On March 24, Your HR Tech Stack is Showing: How to Simplify Without Starting Over unpacks how systems got so crowded—and what to streamline, integrate, or rethink without blowing everything up. Register here.

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