Merit, excellence, and intelligence
Merit, excellence, and intelligence is an organizational framework that emphasizes selecting candidates based solely on their merit, achievements, skills, abilities, intelligence and contributions.
Companies that have substituted their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs for MEI include: Toyota, Meta, McDonald's, Walmart, Ford, Harley-Davidson, John Deere, Nissan, Tractor Supply Company, Amazon, and Boeing.
History
The acronym of merit, excellence, and intelligence was coined by Alexandr Wang, co-founder and CEO of Scale AI in a June 2024 blog post named “Meritocracy at Scale”.
While DEI opponents have praised his stance, Wang in his blog post said that he "strongly disagree" with there being any conflict between meritocracy and diversity.
Criticism
Criticism against MEI initiatives are largely based on a view that it does not adequately address issues of discrimination in employment, with many DEI advocates feeling that it does not recognize human biases in hiring that may lead to a less diverse and more homogenous workplace environment. Some critics believe that MEI overlooks "systemic barriers that persist " and that it "marginaliz those who do not fit into a homogenous, heteronormative mold." Some also see it as a "B.S." philosophy that is "pervasive among some white men in power who believe they deserve their privilege", and that the "merit" described in MEI does not have a universal definition. Those such as Seena Hodges, a DEI consultant, state that " hir for merit, excellence, and intelligence is really saying that historically underrepresented people are not worthy".