Feb 7 (Reuters) - Amazon.com ( AMZN ) eliminated a

reference to "inclusion and diversity" in its annual report

filed on Thursday, after telling employees in December that it

was winding down diversity programs as part of corporate

America's broader retreat from such policies.

Some of the biggest U.S. businesses have been scaling back

their diversity initiatives, years after pushing for more

inclusive policies in the wake of protests against the police

killings of George Floyd and other Black Americans in 2020.

Big technology companies Meta Platforms ( META ) and

Alphabet's Google are among those that have rolled

back such programs in the face of attacks from conservative

groups, which have threatened to sue firms over them.

For the last two years, Amazon's ( AMZN ) "human capital" section of

its annual report said: "As we strive to be Earth's best

employer, we focus on investment and innovation, inclusion and

diversity, safety, and engagement to hire and develop the best

talent."

In the 2024 version, that sentence has been cut.