A Costco board member has taken aim at companies to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, calling on companies to ‘maximise’ DEI as the wholesaler faces pressure to join the list growing number of brands abandoning the controversial practice.

Jeff Raikes, co-founder of the Raikes Foundation and former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has served on Costco’s board of directors since 2008, according to Costco’s corporate website. Raikes and other board members have come under scrutiny in recent days after shutting down a shareholder request to dismantle DEI internally and he asked other shareholders vote against the proposal that seeks to eliminate Costco’s DEI program at an upcoming meeting.

The board’s position came as a surprise to some, in light of a recent corporate trend that has spurred one abandonment of DEI policies. But a Fox News Digital assessment of Raikes’ online history revealed a staunch defender of DEI practices and a man on a mission to dissuade companies from saying goodbye to them.

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RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA – JULY 11: An aerial view shows the Costco logo on the outside of a Costco store on July 11, 2024 in Richmond, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)

Although companies began announcing their departures from DEI policies last year, Raikes urged companies to expand such practices at work, insisting that reducing DEI at companies would hurt the economy.

In a November post about the fall of DEI, Raikes argued, “Attacks on DEI are not only bad for business, they hurt our economy. A diverse workforce drives innovation, expands markets and drive growth. We’re focused on building a future where all talent thrives.” He concluded his post on X with the tagline “Inclusive Economics.”

A month earlier, Raikes also criticized the growing number of companies abandoning DEI policies, which critics saw as discriminatory in hiring.

“#DEI isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s essential to driving innovation and business success. Reducing DEI efforts weakens the ability of companies to grow, innovate and connect to diverse markets,” he wrote.

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In a later post from March, Raikes shared a column he wrote for Forbes where he urged the private sector to “lead the way to foster diversity, equity and inclusion in America’s workplace” and called on companies to buck the anti-DEI trend and instead , “maximize DEI efforts” at work.

He blamed “opportunistic politicians” for trying to “scare and divide” the country by making “GOD a dirty word”. President-elect Donald Trump came out against DEI’s policies during the campaign.

Last month, Raikes responded to a post about universities voting to leave DEI offices by reiterating the “vital role DEI plays in education,” arguing that “Eliminating DEI offices takes us further from equity, not closer.”

“It is essential to student success and a strong economy,” he wrote to X.

Last week, Costco’s board of directors wrote a message to investors urging them to reject a push to lower DEI at the wholesaler at Costco’s upcoming annual shareholder meeting on January 23.

“Our success at Costco Wholesale has been built on serving our critical stakeholders: employees, members and suppliers. Our efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion follow our code of ethics: to to our employees, these efforts are based on inclusion, having all of our employees feel valued and respected,” they wrote.

“Our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts remind and reinforce with everyone at our company the importance of creating opportunities for everyone. We believe these efforts enhance our ability to attract and retain employees who will help our business to succeed. This capability is critical because we owe our success to our more than 300,000 employees worldwide.”

Jeffrey Raikes, former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks during an interview in New York. (Photo: Scott Eells/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

His letter was in response to a proposal filed by the National Center for Public Policy Research challenging the legality of Costco’s DEI program after the Supreme Court’s ruling in SFFA vs. Harvard that racial discrimination in college admissions violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

The proposal cites how attorneys general in 13 states have warned Fortune 100 companies that the ruling implicated corporate DEI programs and a number of lawsuits have been filed.

Companies that have since rescinded DEI commitments and/or laid off employees from DEI departments include Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Zoom and John Deere, the proposal says, though Costco’s board says Microsoft later clarified that it had eliminated two redundant DEI roles, but its focus on diversity and inclusion “remains unwavering.”

Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling, Costco’s board of directors stated that its DEI practices “are legally appropriate, and nothing in the proposal demonstrates otherwise.” The board also said the National Center for Public Policy Research’s request for a study of Costco’s DEI practices “reflects a political bias” and threatens to strain the company’s resources.

Citing a 2023 federal district court decision, the board argued that “the broader agenda of the National Center for Public Policy Research is not to reduce risk to the company but to abolish diversity initiatives “. The board of trustees affirms that the foundation continues with its “shareholder activism”, noting how the National Center for Public Policy Research has previously expressed its commitment to “fight” against “the evils of politicized capital woke up and companies”.

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“We welcome members from all walks of life and backgrounds. As our membership becomes more diverse, we believe serving you with a diverse group of employees improves satisfaction,” Costco’s board wrote, defending its practices GOD “Having diversity in our supplier base, including appropriate attention to small businesses, is beneficial for many of the same reasons that diversity benefits our company. We believe it fosters creativity and innovation in merchandise and services we offer to our members”.

Microsoft Chief Architect Bill Gates and Jeff Raikes together in 2001. (. (Photo by Tim Matsui/Getty Images))

The board’s response prompted some campaigners to call on customers to cancel their memberships at the largest retailer. Others urged consumers to shop at a competitor, such as Sam’s Club, until the board agrees to soften DEI’s hiring policies at the company.

“For now, I suggest conservative consumers find other places to spend their money if Costco is so intent on doubling the DEI. If they’re smart, Costco will do the right thing for its shareholders and change before we turn our attention to them “. anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck wrote to X last week.

“I totally agree with canceling memberships at this point,” he added in a later post.

Costco did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry about whether they have experienced a significant number of membership cancellations in the past two weeks.

His unwavering DEI stance, however, appears to have upset some alleged shareholders online.

“I’m a member and shareholder of Costco and I say the s— has to go,” a user has posted.

“As a shareholder, I am voting to end this ‘program’ another user wrote,

“Obviously the Costco board is wide awake and needs to go. I don’t shop there, but I’ve been a long-term shareholder.. I will vote accordingly,” one person commented.

“Time to Call Out Costco on Board’s Refusal to Drop Its DEI Policy,” a said the user. “I voted all my shares at the January 23rd shareholder meeting against this stupid policy.”

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Advocates of Costco’s DEI policy praised the wholesaler’s board of directors for sticking with DEI at a time when it is increasingly unpopular to do so.

Costco did not respond to Fox Business News’ request for comment. When reached for comment, Raikes said the board’s position on DEI was “unanimous” and directed FBN to its letter without further comment.

Danielle Wallace of Fox Business contributed to this report.