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By Ross Kerber

May 8 (Reuters) - Investor activists spent years pressing companies to spell out more demographic details about the leadership of their boardrooms, on the theory more data would lead to more women and minorities running Corporate America.

But with diversity, equity and inclusion $(DEI)$ practices under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, many companies now are scrubbing their diversity disclosures, a new study found. You can read up on the trend in my column this week, below. I've also included links to stories about Norway's sovereign wealth fund and Bill Ackman's Warren Buffett-like ambitions.

You can follow me on LinkedIn and/or Bluesky, which I should really spend more time with. Or get me via ross.kerber@thomsonreuters.com.

About those disappearing boardroom diversity stats

With U.S. President Donald Trump railing against corporate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and axing government ones, it may come as no surprise that U.S. companies are reporting fewer race and gender details about their directors.

But the extent of the pullback is striking, said Josh Ramer, whose New Jersey company DiversIQ tracks disclosures for investors and corporate clients.

Among S&P 500 companies making proxy filings this year, 54% gave fewer director demographic details than in 2024; last year only 7% of those companies gave fewer details, Ramer found. He said he had expected a smaller decline and said companies seem anxious about the Trump administration's rhetoric.

"I think it's extreme caution," Ramer said. "There's confusion about what's allowed, and companies just don't want to take the risk of being targeted" for criticism or legal action over their filings, he said.

You can click here to read the full column this week.

Company News

OpenAI's nonprofit parent would retain control in a recast restructuring plan, a move likely to limit CEO Sam Altman's power over the pioneering maker of ChatGPT.

Google GOOGL.O should sell its AdX digital ad marketplace and DFP platform for managing and delivering ads on websites, the U.S. Justice Department proposed, after a federal judge found the company illegally dominated two online ad-tech markets.

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman raised his stake in real estate company Howard Hughes HHH.N, moving to create a diversified holding company modeled after legendary investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

On my radar

Trump recently ordered federal agencies not to enforce laws that prohibit policies and practices with discriminatory impacts that often are unintended. My colleague Dan Wiessner explains the change here.

Efforts to allow Norway's $1.8 trillion sovereign wealth fund to invest in large defense companies seem to be faltering, even as European countries ramp up military investment.

(Reporting by Ross Kerber in Boston; Editing by David Gregorio)

((ross.kerber@thomsonreuters.com; (617) 412 0093;))