John Deere is joining a list of large American companies backing off from diversity policies in the face of conservative criticism. The maker of John Deere tractors and other agricultural machinery on Tuesday said it would no longer participate in "social or cultural awareness" events.

Companies that publicly proclaim a set of values, but suddenly walk away from them, run the risk of creating a crisis for the organizations and brands.

Several news sources have reported this week that Microsoft laid off its DEI team. That isn't precisely what happened, according to a Microsoft spokesperson who said in an email to Inc., "This was two roles impacted in the events team,