Accenture to pay $25 million to settle US diversity-practices probe
Accenture has agreed to pay $25 million to settle US government allegations that it considered race and sex in hiring and promotion decisions.
IT consulting firm Accenture has agreed to pay $25 million to settle allegations by the United States government that it took race and sex into account in hiring and promotion decisions in pursuit of demographic goals.
The settlement agreement, signed by the Department of Justice and Accenture and made public on Monday, requires the company to pay the sum inclusive of civil penalties and interest at 4% per annum from September 9, 2026.
The case is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump's administration against diversity, equity and inclusion practices in both the public and private sectors. The White House has characterised DEI as anti-merit and discriminatory against white people and men, and Trump has signed executive orders directing federal contractors and subcontractors to eliminate such practices. Civil rights advocates counter that these measures roll back social progress and undercut efforts to address historic inequities faced by women, the LGBT community and ethnic minorities.
Accenture maintained that it complied with applicable laws and said the resolution did not amount to an admission of liability. A company spokesperson said it had cooperated with the government's review and was pleased to put the matter behind it in order to avoid the costs and resource demands of prolonged litigation. The settlement agreement records that Accenture denied engaging in discrimination.
The agreement follows similar resolutions by other major firms. Deloitte agreed to pay $21.5 million to settle a Justice Department probe into its diversity practices under an agreement made public in August, while IBM agreed to pay $17 million to settle a comparable government inquiry, a deal revealed in April. Many US companies have scaled back or modified their diversity policies since Trump's executive orders.