UnitedHealth removes mentions of DEI from its website

UnitedHealth Group has scrubbed much of its website mentioning its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, including pulling down blog posts and removing large sections from its website, TechCrunch has learned.

According to archived copies of UnitedHealth’s website, several of the company’s web pages dedicated to DEI no longer load and now redirect to a “page not found” error. A section of the company’s career page that used to have a dedicated section for diversity, equity, and inclusion, along with its diversity initiatives, no longer appears on the same live page. UnitedHealth also removed a 2022 blog post featuring a conversation with its vice president of DEI. 

It’s not clear why UnitedHealth pulled down the pages, and if it represents a shift of verbiage or an actual change in its policies. UnitedHealth spokesperson Tyler Mason did not return requests for comment Wednesday.

The removal of DEI from UnitedHealth’s websites coincides with a broad retreat from DEI policies and programs by household names and tech companies alike, amid mounting pressure from Trump administration-issued executive orders targeting DEI programs.

In February, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi instructed the Justice Department to “investigate, eliminate, and penalize” DEI programs that it considers illegal at private sector companies that receive federal funding. A federal appeals court temporarily allowed the Trump administration to press ahead, despite a lower court ruling the government’s efforts unlawful.

Several tech companies have already scrubbed mentions of DEI from their websites, including Google and OpenAI.

TechCrunch saw UnitedHealth take down its web pages mentioning DEI throughout Wednesday morning in real time. Since the ransomware attack on Change Healthcare last year, TechCrunch has used a web page monitor to automatically and continually check for any changes to its website, such as updates to its data breach notice.

In removing “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” in UnitedHealth’s website menu, the company added a slimmed-down page with weaker language it calls the “Culture of Belonging,” which leaves out previous references to the company’s diversity efforts on university campuses, diversity in recruiting, and the company’s various employee resource groups.