Significant changes are afoot at Meta, where the social media giant is preparing for Donald Trump’s second term. First, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads announced last week that it will ditch the “fact-checkers.” Next, it announced the death of DEI. It’s almost too good to be true.

Indeed, we remain skeptical. Yes, we’re excited that Mark Zuckerberg announced the “fact-checker” breakup and numerous other changes in how political content is handled. Yet our Facebook page didn’t suddenly regain any of the traction that was taken from it beginning in June 2020. We certainly expect improvement will take time, but we haven’t seen the needle move at all yet. We’ll keep an eye on it, you can be sure.

However, removing diversity, equity, and inclusion from Meta’s company programs signals that Zuckerberg’s actionable promises might actually be implemented because DEI hires are the foot soldiers doing much of the damage.

“The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing,” wrote Janelle Gale, Meta’s VP of human resources, in a memo to employees. “The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI.”

We thought so, too, after the Court ruled in 2023 on Harvard’s race-based admissions policies, speculating that the decision could lead to corporations all over the country concluding that DEI would only get them in legal hot water. In the 18 months since that decision, a growing number of companies have, in fact, ditched DEI.

To be clear, the words “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” are not the problem. The destructive results come from what leftists intend in redefining those words. They mean to elevate favored minorities, regardless of skill or merit, at the expense of white men. Christians are also on the “wrong side” of leftist calculations unless they bend the knee to left-wing sensibilities.

DEI policies are corrosive to the traditional American corporate goal of excellence. Doing the best work, providing the best service, or producing the best product all become secondary to race and sex considerations. Ask Los Angeles residents how that worked out in the city’s fire department.

Conservative activist Robby Starbuck has played an outsized role in exposing such policies in major corporations. He recently posted a list of companies that ended DEI policies after he brought them to light. None of those companies wanted to be either (A) the next Bud Light (well, except for Jaguar) or (B) a target for litigation after the Supreme Court’s ruling.

So, Meta’s decision is part of a welcome trend, but it will have a much greater impact than most of those other companies’ decisions. While it is excellent to see Ford or John Deere make the right call, Meta is the world’s biggest speech platform. More people worldwide get information from Facebook than buy trucks or tractors, meaning Meta’s DEI has an enormous impact on public opinion.

Meta isn’t the only Big Tech giant to do this, either, as Amazon likewise announced that it will scale back its DEI programs. Given Amazon’s size and dominance in the marketplace, that’s huge.

There is a red flag, however.

Gale’s memo implies that the blame is not with faulty policies but with how people interpret those policies. “The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others,” Gale said. The company will stop using the “diverse slate approach” in hiring and end representation goals, she said, because it “can create the impression that decisions are being made based on race or gender.” However, she insisted, “While this has never been our practice, we want to eliminate any impression of it.”

It’s just those darn critics.

Another flag: Though “we will no longer have a team focused on DEI,” Gale says, chief diversity officer “Maxine Williams is taking on a new role at Meta, focused on accessibility and engagement.” Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Remember this essential truth: When particular branding doesn’t lead to a public embrace of left-wing policies, leftists change the branding, not the policies.

I certainly hope that’s not the case at Meta, which is so critical to the future of free speech in these United States. There is reason for hope.

Zuckerberg joined podcaster Joe Rogan last week, and he indicated that he’s ready for these changes.

For one thing, he held no punches when describing the strong-arming the company felt coming from the White House. “They pushed us super hard to take down things that … honestly were true,” Zuckerberg said. “They basically pushed us and said, ‘You know, anything that says that vaccines might have side effects you basically need to take down.’” He added, “These people from the Biden administration would call up our team and scream at them and curse. It got to this point where we were like, ‘No, we’re not going to take down things that are true. That’s ridiculous.’” Furthermore, “All these different agencies and branches of government basically just started investigating, coming after our company. It was brutal. It was brutal.”

Meta’s CEO also seems to have grown more fond of President-elect Trump. “One of the things that I’m optimistic about with President Trump is I think he just wants America to win,” Zuckerberg said. “I do think that the American technology industry is a bright spot in the American economy,” he added. “I think it’s a strategic advantage for the United States that we have a lot of the strongest companies in the world and I think it should be part of the U.S.‘s strategy going forward to defend that.”

Maybe Zuckerberg is putting on a show for Rogan’s audience — and the incoming administration — or maybe he’s genuinely angry about the Biden administration’s interference in his business. Maybe he was a willing participant in left-wing censorship, or maybe he was bullied. Is he as dedicated to free speech as Elon Musk has proven to be, or is this an act?

We don’t yet know, but as I noted last week, these are measurable promises. We’ll know if Zuck is true to his word or not. One thing I do know is that welcoming free-speech converts will yield more converts than beating them over the head with past sins or admonitions for being too late.

Follow Nate Jackson on X/Twitter.