DEI and the Price of Capitalism

DEI was never about hiring unqualified people. It’s about tapping into talent pipelines that diversify candidates in skills, backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Yet, the persistent illusion that DEI equates to lowering the bar is exactly why corporate America remains dominated by the same demographics.

I’ve seen firsthand how DEI is often explicitly dismissed, with claims that it’s "not a priority."

But hiring the best talent should always be the priority.

Many hiring managers falsely believe DEI is about hiring diverse candidates without regard for qualifications, just to check a box, rather than recognizing it as an effort to expand access to the most skilled candidates.

This misconception is not just ignorant; it’s actively harmful. It limits a company’s potential by keeping hiring practices stagnant, preserving outdated norms, and resisting the inevitable shift toward a workforce that thrives on fresh ideas, innovation, and competitive adaptability.

Maintaining the status quo is easy.

But in the business world, easy isn’t the goal—the best is.

And achieving the best requires stepping outside comfort zones.

That’s how you find the strongest candidates.

The H-2B visa program is a prime example of broadening talent pipelines, yet its potential is often restricted by selective application, benefiting certain groups while limiting access for a broader, highly skilled workforce.

Widening the Talent Pipeline

Expanding the pipeline isn’t complicated.

It’s as simple as:

• Connect with talent organizations beyond LinkedIn and Indeed.
• Partner with groups that tap into underrepresented talent.
• Inform these networks that your company is hiring.

That’s it.

That’s all it takes to broaden access to high-performing candidates who might otherwise be overlooked.

So why is it met with resistance? Because employment opportunities yield power—and gatekeepers don’t want to relinquish it.

I’ve seen it countless times—executives and hiring managers bringing their networks into their new organizations, ensuring opportunities stay within their circles.

They recognize the power in hiring, referrals, and maintaining influence. And giving up this power threatens their leverage, hiring influence, referral incentives, leadership positioning, and even their own job security.

But that’s capitalism.

The real game is competition, and DEI fosters competition.

It requires stepping into discomfort, challenging long-standing hiring norms, and embracing change. That discomfort is the price of capitalism—the cost of truly competing in a diverse and evolving workforce. It forces the best to emerge, regardless of background, disrupting the power structures some are desperately trying to protect.

But hiring the best shouldn’t depend on who you already know. If we truly value competition, we have to remove the invisible barriers.

The Unspoken Gatekeeping

Networking shapes careers. But it also shuts people out.

Most jobs are filled through referrals. Talent companies openly push networking because connections lead to better, higher-paying jobs. But what happens when access to these networks is inherently unequal?

An immense pool of untapped talent exists among individuals from lower-income, immigrant, and first-generation backgrounds who lack access to traditional professional networks. If your family and immediate circle don’t have degrees, corporate careers, or established connections, the challenge isn't a lack of skill or capability; it's breaking into spaces where talent is often recognized through familiarity rather than merit.

Organizations like FUTURO bridge these gaps, ensuring that skilled, qualified candidates have a fair shot.

Yet when companies stay in their familiar circles, they limit their own potential—missing out on the chance to build more innovative, adaptable, and high-performing teams.

That’s not capitalism. That's a closed-loop system that fears competition.

Nobody is asking companies to hire based on race, gender, or any protected class. That’s illegal and discriminatory. What we are asking is for companies to expand their talent pipelines. Because when you genuinely seek out the best candidates, the outcome is naturally diverse. The best will rise from every background, not just the ones already in the room.

The Real Hiring Process 

When a position opens up, hiring managers and recruiters (often influenced by executives) already have someone in mind. It’s human nature. But who actually holds the power to make that hire? That’s where the real battle lies.

DEI isn’t necessary for filling positions where someone has already been pre-selected. Instead, networks are recycled, limiting access to fresh talent and ensuring that companies miss out on fresh talent and innovative perspectives, ultimately weakening their competitive edge.

Networking and referrals hold power, shaping hiring decisions based on familiarity, trust, and loyalty. That’s why referral bonuses exist. That’s why people complain when job postings go up even though an internal hire was already chosen. The focus shifts from getting the best job done to simply getting the job done with the least resistance. And some people are unwilling to let go of that power.

The Political Weaponization of DEI

Gatekeeping in hiring isn’t just business. It’s political.

And we’ve seen it weaponized in real-time.

This shouldn’t be controversial.

We've seen this play out at the highest levels of leadership. Just this week, the Trump administration blamed DEI instead of owning its own hiring freeze and the dismissal of key aviation personnel—actions that have directly impacted staffing and safety.

Instead of addressing real issues, DEI becomes the scapegoat, reinforcing the false idea that it undermines meritocracy.

In reality, it expands competition by diversifying the talent pool.

The Price of Capitalism 

If this made you uncomfortable, ask yourself why.

Isn’t capitalism about competition? About finding the best?

Real competition means seeking out the best talent, beyond the familiar.

It means questioning systems that limit access to excellence.

That discomfort you feel—that’s the price of capitalism.

It’s comfortable to stay within familiar networks. It’s easy to hire who you know. It’s easy to keep doing things the way they’ve always been done. But the price of capitalism is discomfort. It's the willingness to challenge biases and expand beyond familiar networks. Those who resist change will find themselves losing in the long run.

If you truly want the best in a competitive market, you put in the effort. You seek out talent. You build diverse, highly skilled teams. You innovate. And you win.

DEI doesn’t lower standards—it raises them.