New hiring principle ‘MEI’ challenges traditional DEI approaches

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE — A new hiring principle called MEI, which stands for merit, excellence, and intelligence, is stirring controversy in the business world, challenging traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies.
Introduced by Alexandr Wang, CEO of tech startup Scale AI, MEI focuses on hiring “only the best person for the job” without regard to demographic factors.
Wang explained the principle in a blog post, stating, “That means we hire only the best person for the job, we seek out and demand excellence, and we unapologetically prefer people who are very smart.”
Today we’ve formalized an important hiring policy at Scale. We hire for MEI: merit, excellence, and intelligence.
This is the email I’ve shared with our @scale_AI team.
———————————————————
MERITOCRACY AT SCALE
In the wake of our fundraise, I’ve been getting a lot of questions…
— Alexandr Wang (@alexandr_wang) June 13, 2024
Tech giants support MEI
Wang emphasized that MEI would not conflict with diversity, insisting, “No group has a monopoly on excellence.”
He argues that this approach naturally leads to diversity without the need for specific DEI initiatives.
“We will not pick winners and losers based on someone being the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ race, gender, and so on. It should be needless to say, and yet it needs saying: doing so would be racist and sexist, not to mention illegal.”
The MEI principle has gained support from prominent tech figures, including Elon Musk, who described it as “great” on social media. Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify, and Brian Armstrong, co-founder and CEO of Coinbase, also expressed their approval.
Great!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 13, 2024
Experts raise concerns over MEI’s approach
Despite its growing popularity among some tech leaders, MEI has faced criticism from DEI experts and professionals.
They argue that the principle oversimplifies the complexities of workplace diversity and fails to address systemic barriers faced by underrepresented groups.
Lisa Simon, chief economist at Revelio Labs, warned against abandoning DEI policies.
“People that think that we’re over the hill when it comes to diversity and inclusion, both from a racial as well as gender perspective, are delusional,” Simon told Fortune.
Emily Witko, an HR professional at AI startup Hugging Face, described Wang’s post as a “dangerous oversimplification.”
Experts interviewed by TechCrunch pointed out that a purely merit-based system often perpetuates existing inequalities by favoring those who already have advantages.
“A meritocratic system is built on criteria that reflect the status quo, and therefore, it will perpetuate existing inequalities by continuously favoring those who already have advantages,” Witko stated.
As the debate continues, the tech industry grapples with balancing merit-based hiring practices and the need for diverse, inclusive workplaces. The MEI principle has undoubtedly sparked a crucial conversation about the future of hiring strategies in an increasingly competitive and diverse job market.
Growing anti-DEI movement
As of April 2024, there are at least ten states that have enacted laws restricting or banning DEI efforts, including Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, and North Carolina.
Effective October 1st in Alabama, the law prohibits DEI offices and initiatives at state agencies, local school boards, and public colleges and universities.
This trend has extended beyond the public sector, with major companies like Google, Meta, and the University of Florida scaling back their DEI programs in recent months.