Companies are caving to anti-DEI crusaders. That’s bad for business

New York (CNN) —& We all know, instinctively, to be skeptical every time a big company markets itself as more than what it is: A business hungry for our hard-earned cash.Think about it. Didn’t we all groan when Kendell Jenner, in an ad, appeared to bring about peace by giving a cop a Pepsi? Of course. Didn’t we pan empty Pride gestures as “rainbow capitalism”? We did. (And in doing so, gave rise to a generation of hilarious “That’s why, for this pride month, I’ve partnered with”& memes.But more damaging than the cringe of a tone-deaf tweet about diversity is when companies give up on the performance altogether.See here:& Over the last few months, an array of big-name brands, including Lowe’s,& Ford,& John Deere, Harley-Davidson& and& Tractor Supply, have announced they are scaling back their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. This week, Molson Coors, a longtime sponsor of Pride events and partner to LGBTQ+ nonprofits, joined the list.In a memo, the CEO of Molson Coors told employees the company was “rolling out the next steps of our culture journey,” and moving away from certain DEI efforts toward a “broader view.”Part of that journey will include ditching a popular LGBTQ+ equality...