On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced a major $500 billion private sector initiative Called “Stargate,” it aims to build an artificial intelligence infrastructure in the United States through a partnership between tech giants OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle.
Trump pledged to launch the initiative through an executive action that would use emergency declarations to speed up production and ease regulatory hurdles for participating companies.
“I’m going to help a lot through emergency declarations because we have an emergency, we have to build this thing,” Trump said Tuesday. “So they have to produce a lot of electricity. And we will make it possible for them to do this production easily, if they want, in their factories.”
Trump’s announcement came just hours after he was signed executive order Titled “Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” it aimed to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs at federal agencies, warning of future initiatives to curtail similar efforts in the private sector. The order directs federal agencies to end DEI-related mandates, policies, and programs, calling such initiatives “discriminatory and unlawful,” and requires agencies to enforce civil rights laws to counter private-sector DEI preferences.
Despite the Trump administration’s major crackdown on DEI, the three companies announced by Trump as part of the Stargate initiative have expanded DEI programs and remain publicly committed to DEI principles, according to company websites.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has a website called “Commitment to Diversity, Equity.” & inclusion,” where the company presents its DEI programs and commitment to mitigating the downsides of AI systems.
“Our investment in diversity, equity and inclusion is ongoing, delivered through a broad range of initiatives, owned by everyone across the company, and championed and supported by leadership,” the website says. “We take this work seriously and are committed to continuously improving our work to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization.”
President Donald Trump, from left, Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group, Larry Ellison, chairman and chief technology officer of Oracle Corporation, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, listen in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 21, 2025. , in Washington, DC
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
SoftBank Chairman and CEO Junichi Miyagawa also praised the DEI initiatives, saying in a 2021 post on the company’s website: “It is very important to ensure diversity within the core staff involved in management.” In a 2024 release, the company said: “The promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion is an important management issue, and we strive to foster a dynamic and vibrant organization that allows members of our diverse workforce to fully utilize their talents, regardless of age. gender, nationality or disabilities.”
Larry Ellison’s Oracle also promotes initiatives related to diversity and inclusion, with a page on the company’s website titled “Culture and Inclusion Enables Diversity.”
“If you’ve ever wondered why diversity and inclusion matter, remember: it strengthens our teams and improves our ideas,” the page says.
Representatives for OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle did not respond to ABC News’ requests for comment. A White House spokesman did not immediately respond.
Meanwhile, the Stargate deal has drawn skepticism about its $500 billion price tag, including from Trump’s adviser, billionaire Elon Musk.
In an overnight post on his social media platform X, Musk questioned financial support for OpenAI, later sharing a post calling the $500 billion price tag “ridiculous” and “no one should take it seriously.”
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman responded to Musk’s comments about X, rejecting the claim that OpenAI does not have the funds to invest in the Stargate project.
Altman called the assertion “wrong” and said the deal is “good for the country.”
Altman also took a dig at Musk, now head of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying, “I realize that what’s good for the country isn’t always what’s best for your companies.”
“But in your new role, I hope you’ll mostly put us first,” he added, using an American flag emoji.
Stargate’s deal comes as other tech companies do thrown back their DEI initiatives before the actions of the Trump administration.
Earlier this month, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta announced that it would immediately end its major DEI programs, including those related to recruiting, training and selecting providers.
“The legal and policy climate surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the US is changing,” Janelle Gale, Meta’s vice president of human resources, wrote in a statement obtained by ABC News.
“The US Supreme Court has recently issued decisions that signal a shift in how courts will approach DEI. It reaffirms longstanding principles that discrimination based on inherent characteristics should not be tolerated or encouraged.”
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management ordered all federal agencies to place DEI office workers on paid leave by 5 p.m. Wednesday, and to remove all public DEI-based web pages by the same time.
Musk has long criticized DEI programs, writing in a post about X that “DEI is just another word for racism.”
“Shame on anyone who uses it,” Musk wrote.
