Pros
Nice and fun people and new office.
Cons
GEP frequently promotes itself as a company that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion. Those values were highlighted as a core part of the company's culture. Employees—particularly those involved in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)—were routinely asked to volunteer significant amounts of their own time to organize recruiting events, support DEI initiatives, and foster a workplace where people from all backgrounds felt welcome and represented.
That is why the decision to invite Nikki Haley as the keynote speaker for this year's GEP Innovate is shocking and unacceptable.
Nikki Haley has a well-documented public record of anti-LGBTQ+ positions, Islamophobic rhetoric, and a deeply troubling political history. Choosing to platform—and reportedly pay a substantial speaking fee to—someone whose public record stands in direct opposition to the values GEP claims to champion sends a clear message that those values are conditional when they become inconvenient.
What exactly was she expected to contribute to an innovation conference that could not have been offered by one of the countless accomplished leaders whose records actually align with the company's stated commitment to inclusion?
For a company that so proudly markets itself as a DEI champion, this decision was profoundly disappointing. It undermines the work of employees who dedicated countless unpaid hours to building an inclusive culture and recruiting diverse talent. Frankly, it was disturbing to see leadership elevate someone whose views are fundamentally at odds with the environment the company asks its employees to create.
