Whoever decided to go woke with Harley must be a idiot. Bad business move.
Motorcycle maker says it no longer has DEI functions, vows to focus on 'retaining our loyal riding community'
Harley-Davidson released a statement on Monday renouncing DEI and other controversial company initiatives in the wake of social-media outrage and withering pressure from longtime loyal bikers.
"It is critical to our business that we hire and retain the best talent and that all employees feel welcome," the statement reads.
"That said, we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals."
The statement also said Harley-Davidson was reassessing employee training initiatives and sponsorships while refocusing on its most loyal customers.
"As a consumer brand, we will focus exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling and retaining our loyal riding community, in addition to the support we already provide to first responders, active military members and veterans."
One veteran felt it was a long overdue mea culpa by the bike maker, but remained skeptical.
"I think it's great. But they never should have changed in the first place," Jesse Clay, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and longtime Harley-Davidson rider from Colorado, told Fox News Digital.
"Let's see what actually happens."
Harley-Davidson had faced grumblings for years from longtime customers, including hard-core bikers, who claimed that the Milwaukee-based company "used" them to build its "bad--s" brand, then abandoned them as the motorcycle's popularity expanded to upscale riders.
The dissatisfaction exploded in July when social-media influencer Robby Starbuck outed several controversial internal woke policies at Harley.
"@HarleyDavidson has been one of the most beloved brands in America but recently on CEO Jochen Zeitz’s watch, they’ve gone totally woke," Robby Starbuck shared with his more than 528,000 followers on X.
Starbuck, based in Tennessee, celebrated Harley's announcement on Monday.
"We have a movement to bring down DEI and wokeism in corporate America and inject some sanity back into the workplace," Starbuck said in a phone interview on Monday with Fox News Digital.
"Corporations can't ignore our movement anymore. They have to take us seriously. They made this statement because we're obviously having an impact on their customer base."
www.foxnews.com
Motorcycle maker says it no longer has DEI functions, vows to focus on 'retaining our loyal riding community'
Harley-Davidson released a statement on Monday renouncing DEI and other controversial company initiatives in the wake of social-media outrage and withering pressure from longtime loyal bikers.
"It is critical to our business that we hire and retain the best talent and that all employees feel welcome," the statement reads.
"That said, we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals."
The statement also said Harley-Davidson was reassessing employee training initiatives and sponsorships while refocusing on its most loyal customers.
"As a consumer brand, we will focus exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling and retaining our loyal riding community, in addition to the support we already provide to first responders, active military members and veterans."
One veteran felt it was a long overdue mea culpa by the bike maker, but remained skeptical.
"I think it's great. But they never should have changed in the first place," Jesse Clay, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and longtime Harley-Davidson rider from Colorado, told Fox News Digital.
"Let's see what actually happens."
Harley-Davidson had faced grumblings for years from longtime customers, including hard-core bikers, who claimed that the Milwaukee-based company "used" them to build its "bad--s" brand, then abandoned them as the motorcycle's popularity expanded to upscale riders.
The dissatisfaction exploded in July when social-media influencer Robby Starbuck outed several controversial internal woke policies at Harley.
"@HarleyDavidson has been one of the most beloved brands in America but recently on CEO Jochen Zeitz’s watch, they’ve gone totally woke," Robby Starbuck shared with his more than 528,000 followers on X.
Starbuck, based in Tennessee, celebrated Harley's announcement on Monday.
"We have a movement to bring down DEI and wokeism in corporate America and inject some sanity back into the workplace," Starbuck said in a phone interview on Monday with Fox News Digital.
"Corporations can't ignore our movement anymore. They have to take us seriously. They made this statement because we're obviously having an impact on their customer base."
Harley-Davidson slams brakes on 'woke' policies after sparking biker and social-media outrage
Harley-Davidson issued a statement on Monday renouncing DEI initiatives after facing withering attacks on social media for what critics called "woke" policies that conflicted with it score market.
www.foxnews.com
