Costco shareholders reject an anti-DEI measure, after Walmart and others end diversity programs

Costco shareholders voted down a shareholder proposal urging the wholesale club operator to evaluate any risks posed by its diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, practices.

According to preliminary results shared by Costco executives at its annual meeting Thursday, more than 98% of shares voted against the proposal.

In a pre-recorded statement which was played at Costco's 2025 annual shareholders meeting on Jan. 23, the shareholder proposing the anti-DEI resolution, The National Center for Public Policy Research, said that "Diversity, equity and inclusion may sound benign on the surface, but in reality it is weaponized language concealing a radical Marxist agenda."