Harley Flees DEI
Harley-Davidson Ditches European CEO’s Vanity ‘DEI’ Project
Neil Munro
Harley-Davidson’s European CEO has backed down on his vanity project to rebrand the company’s motorbikes as his vehicle for globalized “diversity.”
The retreat from forced “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI), is a third win for for Robby Starbuck, an X-amplified advocate for merit, productivity, and professionalism.
“Another win for our movement,” Starbuck tweeted Tuesday after the company announced it would roll back its mandatory diversity policies. “I couldn’t do this without all of you,” he added.
Those imposed policies included top-level support for divisive employee identity groups, for counterproductive demands to buy components from suppliers who emphasize their “identities” instead of product quality, and for awarding promotions and jobs according to criteria set up by a pro-transgender outside advocacy group.
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Harley-Davidson’s CEO is Jochen Zeitz, an imported German executive. He has described himself as a Taliban-like supporter for DEI and “sustainability.”
Breitbart
HD Mea Culpa
HD is saddened by the negativity on social media. How special considering it is entirely self-inflicted, well deserved and was forced to act by customer outrage. What I don’t see is an apology and the CEO stepping down. That tactic seems to emulate Budweiser which has yet to recover from the Dylan Mulvaney debacle.
The new logo sucks, too.
Category: DEI, Reality Check, Schadenfreude
Need to tell my BiL. He’s a H-D rider.
FIRST rule of business is don’t piss off the majority of your potential customer base with social or political issues. Make a decent product, put a fair price on it, and then make a nice profit. It’s that simple.
Ironic that a German CEO is doing to an American Brand what the German Army couldn’t do 80 years ago. How many wars did BMW Bikes help win?
The minority are the squeaky wheels that get what they want hence the squeaky wheel gets the oil sometimes until it pisses off the majority.
When you piss off the “Dikes on bikes crowd” ….. lookout.
I think I saw that film, once.
Absolutely nothing like the source material.
Yeah, so I ride Harleys, among other bikes. This has been a big thing. Last week footage surfaces of the CEO calling himself a “greenTaliban” back in 2020. Considering how many vets ride motorcycles this went over like Kamala Harris at an Alabama church picnic.
The current CEO is ruining the company. In the last five years the company stock has risen 13% vs the 58% rise in the DOW during the same period. If I were a stockholder I’d be calling for his head. So they are underperforming the market by over 400%, leading to a shrinkage of shareholder value vs inflation.
Their only big, good move in the last five years was introducing the Pam America which is sort of like a BMW adventure bike knock off. While a nice bike it is pretty buggy with electronics which seem to have been programmed by a nine year old in India.
The last big push was people burning their HOG (Harley Owner Group) Membership cards, ripping the emblems off and generally defacing anything Harley. I think they realized that torches and pitchforks were coming next.
I was a four season rider for a few decades- from daily commute to long distance- and have my own opinions I’ll share if asked. HD makes a great bike for what it does an is an American icon. It may even recover and I hope it does.
Now that I’m working a retirement part time gig, I ride my Road Glide to work pretty much every day I go. I’ve also ridden it across the country, over 14000′ in the Rockies and across deserts in 115 degree heat for days on end. I’m really surprised it has never let me down. I’d always heard they were troublesome but this one never was. It is also super comfortable.
I’ll poke at your two wheeled Barca-lounger slowly turning gasoline into noise, and you’d likely slam me for tupperware riding racer-wannabe. There’s a bit of truth in each, and I’ll get the next round.
*grin*
Thai made HD was all set to release the Ladyboy Astro Glide next year
You have to earn your customers every day.
You find the nicest people on a Honda…
Harley Light-Bud Davidson
Where is AMF and their leaky oil and loose nut bikes when you need them.
Got a 71 Shovel in the garage. Marking her spot.
That DEI shit went over like “Hanoi Jane” Fonda at a Vietnam Veterans Reunion.
His statement that Harley would eventually go all electric wasn’t exactly greeted with cheers either.
She was their next pitch monkey.
(Grin)
Only 12 days ago….
As if US built MSRP pricing for the big Harley’s isn’t bad enough…
even after the build up in India (for worldwide export)…
Now Harley is expanding in Thailand…
to manufacture multiple models for shipment and sale in the USA.
Employees in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are not happy.
How many Americans want to spend $27000
for their Harley that has a Thailand import VIN?
https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2024/08/08/harley-davidson-moving-more-motorcycle-production-to-thailand/74721508007/
Personal Note – I refuse to buy ANY car, wagon, SUV, or truck
with a VIN 1st digit of “3” (Mexico).
You’d be surprised how many dealer makes and models
have cars with a 3 VIN.
Jack Daniels now going unwoke as well.
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/jack-daniels-renounces-woke-agenda-latest-iconic-us-brand-bring-sanity-back-business