McDonald's And Coke Never Announced That They'd Stop Hiring Whites

On February 18, 2021, McDonald’s put out a press release detailing their plans to make progress towards a more diverse and inclusive workplace. The same day, CEO Chris Kempczinski posted on LinkedIn about McDonald’s new policies to “provide a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace.” Days later, a meme began to circulate that claimed, “McDonalds and Coke Both Announce That No Whites Will Be Hired in Top Positions.”

The Washington Examiner and other news platforms covered the story in articles with headlines such as, “Is McDonald’s New Hiring Policy Racist?” Social media users shared the articles, making the interpretation that McDonald’s new policies discriminated against people who are white.