DEI is dead. Long live DEI 2.0.

DEI is Dead. Long Live DEI 2.0.

First, they ignored diversity.
Then they embraced it.
Then they held a workshop on it.
Then they quietly laid off the diversity team.
And now they’re calling it DEI 2.0.

Welcome to the reboot nobody asked for.

So, What Happened to DEI 1.0?

It died of “fatigue.” Apparently, inclusion got too heavy to carry. Somewhere between pledging billions in 2020 and quietly walking back every commitment in 2024, the corporate world remembered it was easier to talk equity than to implement it.

Turns out, for many companies, DEI was like a gym membership: looks good on paper, rarely used, and cancelled the moment the economy looked flabby.

And now, with political winds changing, everyone from Fortune 500 giants to mid-level HR heads are rushing to “reassess” their diversity programs. Read: delete folder.

Enter DEI 2.0 – Because Rebranding is Easier Than Repenting

Like every failed app update, DEI 2.0 comes with promises: lighter, faster, less threatening to the old guard.

You’ll hear terms like:

• “Belonging strategy” (because ‘equity’ makes people nervous)
• “Perspective inclusion” (translation: no quotas, just vibes)
• “Merit-based diversity” (finally, a way to be diverse without changing anything)

Universities, corporations, and policy writers are lining up to sell this shiny new version of inclusion, one that requires minimal effort and zero structural change.

Because what better way to honour the death of DEI than to turn it into a PowerPoint slide?

Who Killed It?

Not one person. Not one law. DEI died the way most uncomfortable truths do, in slow, quiet meetings full of nice people who didn’t want to “alienate the majority.”

It was suffocated by:

• Politicians who called it divisive.
• Corporates who blamed it for falling foot traffic.
• Voters who confused “fair access” with “personal threat.”
• And people who genuinely believed hiring one woman solved patriarchy.

Who Benefits?

The usual suspects. Those who always got in without a leg up now don’t have to feel bad about it.
The boardrooms that could stay comfortably pale and male.
The universities that no longer have to explain why their brochures are more diverse than their faculty.
And every person who said, “We should hire the best person for the job,” without ever asking why the best person always looks the same.

What Now?

Now we’re in the era of DEI 2.0, which, like Web 3.0, is vaguely defined but makes consultants very rich.

It promises less politics, fewer quotas, and more “organic” inclusion.
Read: if we just wait long enough, equality will naturally occur.
Like gravity. Or trickle-down economics.

But here’s the thing: DEI 1.0 wasn’t perfect. It was messy, inconsistent, and often performative.
But it tried. It named the problem. It hired people to fix it.
DEI 2.0 just wants to rename the problem until no one remembers what it was.

For India, Don’t Be Too Smug

No, this isn’t just an American mess.
Indian corporates that once mimicked Silicon Valley’s glossy DEI decks are already “realigning.”
Startups that bragged about gender diversity last year are back to founders-only panels.
And our universities, never ones to over-index on inclusion, are breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

Let’s not pretend we’re above this.
We’re just better at hiding the bias behind legacy, language, and “cultural fit.”

So… Should We Bury It?

No. We should build it better.

Real DEI, the kind that listens more than it labels, that funds change not just flyers, isn’t dead. It’s just being pushed offline.

If we’re serious about DEI 2.0, it shouldn’t be a reboot. It should be a rewrite.
One that’s less about panel discussions and more about pay audits.
Less about symbolism, more about systems.

And maybe, just maybe, less about what diversity looks like, and more about what it feels like when it’s real.

Until then, rest in peace DEI 1.0.
We hardly implemented you.