
In a big climb-down Motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson has halted its ‘woke’ policies after facing a severe backlash from its fans on social media who even started a campaign to boycott the iconic American motorcycle.
The motorcycle maker has stated that it is doing away with its DEI functions and vowed to focus on ‘retaining our loyal riding community’.
Harley-Davidson releases official statement
A statement to this effect was released by Harley-Davidson on Monday and said that it is doing away with DEI and other controversial company initiatives after the social-media outrage and withering pressure from longtime loyal bikers.
The statement reads,
“It is critical to our business that we hire and retain the best talent and that all employees feel welcome. 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 further added that Harley-Davidson that it was reassessing employee training initiatives and sponsorships as well as directing its energies to satisfy its most loyal customers.
Zeitz of Harley-Davidson stated,
“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.”
The slew of changes started after Jochen Zeitz, former chief executive officer of Puma AG assumed the role of CEO of Harley-Davidson in May 2020.
Many die-hard fans of Harley-Davidson felt that the steps were long overdue but are still sceptical if the motorcycle manufacturer will walk on the path it has stated.
Jesse Clay, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and longtime Harley-Davidson rider from Colorado stated,
“I think it’s great. But they never should have changed in the first place. Let’s see what actually happens.”
Harley-Davidson has been facing a backlash from longtime customers, including hard-core bikers, who felt that the company had created a “bad–s” brand, and then forsaken them as the motorcycle’s popularity expanded to upscale riders.
Robby Starbuck started the campaign against the iconic motorbike and stated in a post on X
“@harleydavidson has been one of the most beloved brands in America but recently on CEO Jochen Zeitz’s watch, they’ve gone totally woke,”
Starbuck, based in Tennessee, shared this post with 528,000 followers on X. It celebrated Harley’s announcement on Monday.
Starbuck said in a phone interview on Monday with Fox News Digital.
“We have a movement to bring down DEI and wokeism in corporate America and inject some sanity back into the workplace. 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’s statement also lamented the fact that there was a lot of negativity on social media which strived to divide the Harley-Davidson community.
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