DEI is just an acronym for three different words. There's ways to build diversity without discrimination. Likewise, equity can be worked towards without quotas.

DEI is just an acronym for three different words. There's ways to build diversity without discrimination. Likewise, equity can be worked towards without quotas. I have worked at a company that didn't use DEI as a euphemism for workplace affirmative action on the basis of gender and race. They sponsored after school programs in underserved communities, some employees volunteered their time at maker spaces, and other things like that. Granted, in 2 out of 3 companies I've worked at full time DEI was indeed essentially a euphemism for illegal hiring practices like percentage quotas and reserving segments of headcount on the basis of protected class. Always remember: a bonus for one particular protected class is the same as penalty for everyone who isn't a member. When a company allocates 20 "extra" headcount for diverse employees on top of the 80 normal headcount, it's the same as starting with 100 headcount and prohibiting non-diverse candidates from 20 of those 100.