Jan 11 (Reuters) - Apple's ( AAPL ) board of directors

recommended investors vote against a shareholder proposal to

abolish the company's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

programs, according to a proxy filing from the company.

The National Center for Public Policy, a conservative think

tank, submitted a proposal that the company consider abolishing

its "Inclusion & Diversity program, policies, department and

goals."

The proposal cited recent Supreme Court decisions, and made

the argument that DEI poses "litigation, reputational and

financial risks to companies" and could make Apple ( AAPL ) more

vulnerable to lawsuits.

Apple ( AAPL ) responded that it had a well-established compliance

program and the proposal was unnecessary. It added that the

shareholder proposal was an inappropriate attempt to micromanage

Apple's ( AAPL ) business strategy.

"Apple ( AAPL ) is an equal opportunity employer and does not

discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, or promoting on

any basis protected by law", the iPhone maker said in the

filing. The news was first reported by TechCrunch.

Several major companies including Meta and Amazon ( AMZN )

are winding down diversity programs ahead of Republican

Donald Trump's return to the U.S. presidency as conservative

opposition to such initiatives grows louder.

Conservative groups have denounced DEI programs and

threatened to sue companies over them, emboldened by a U.S.

Supreme Court ruling in 2023 that struck down affirmative action

in university admissions decisions.

The changes show how some of America's biggest businesses

have reacted to a larger conservative backlash against diversity

initiatives, which multiplied after widespread protests

following the police killings of George Floyd and other Black

Americans in 2020.

(Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru)