Corporate DEI

Welcome to the first-ever episode of Craft Politics! 

This week, we kick things off by diving into the big headlines: Justin Trudeau’s resignation and what it means for governance and business in Canada, plus the latest drama from Meta—shutting down its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) program and switching gears on content moderation. 

But the real highlight? A chat with our very first guest, Ian Robertson, a seasoned strategist and partner at Jefferson Hawthorne. 

Ian takes helps us unpack why corporate America is cooling off on DEI initiatives. 

He shares how businesses can move from virtue signalling to strategic empathy, why understanding stakeholder values is key, and what happens when you don’t have a plan for those tricky political and social issues. 

Of course, it’s not all serious—Joseph and Andrew wrap things up with a pint in hand, rating the beer of the week and promising plenty more insights and fun in the episodes to come. Can they deliver? Best not to set expectations too high…

00:00 Welcome to Craft Politics
02:10 Who Are We?
05:55 Issue Scan — Trudeau's Resignation and Canada's Leadership Vacuum
08:45 The Dangerous Timing — Trump's Tariff Threats and No Functioning Government
15:52 Issue Scan — Meta Ends Fact-Checking and Embraces Political Content
21:15 Issue Scan — Meta Kills DEI Programs and Corporate America Follows
24:55 Ian Robertson — When Politics Meets the Boardroom
26:16 Why Corporate America Went Cold on DEI — The Strategic Failure
29:10 Stakeholder Capitalism's Reality Check — When Your Stakeholders Conflict
31:36 The Bud Light Lesson — Rural vs Urban and the Consumer Backlash
34:35 Strategic Empathy — What Business Can Learn from Politicians
37:33 The October 7th Miscalculation — When Companies Didn't See the Conflict Coming
43:58 Is This Just an American Trend or a Global Shift?
46:57 Last Orders — Making Sense of DEI, Meta, and Trudeau Over Beer
49:03 Is Virtue Signaling Really Out? — Costco and Apple Double Down
53:19 Stakeholder Capitalism Needs a Reality Check — The Third Dimension
56:47 Frameworks Over Instincts — Why Corporate Leaders Default to Personal Bias
1:02:43 The Anti-Woke Counterculture — Is the Pendulum Swinging Back?
1:09:06 Is Canada Really in a Political Crisis? — The Big C vs the Small C
1:11:32 Beer Tasting Notes and Final Thoughts — Smooth Like Carney, Cold Like Freeland