Harley-Davidson may be facing a reckoning as conservatives call for a boycott after details of the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies came to light. Robby Starbuck, a popular conservative influencer and film maker, brought attention to the company’s policies. “It’s time to expose Harley Davidson,” wrote Starbuck. He highlighted a number of the company’s policies, including sponsoring an all-ages pride event, forcing 1,800 employees to attend a training on how to become allies, and made February and March “months of inclusion.” He accused the company of going “totally woke.” “I don’t think the values at corporate reflect the values of nearly any Harley Davidson bikers. Do Harley riders want the money they spend at Harley to be used later by corporate to push an ideology that’s diametrically opposed to their own values?”
Harley-Davidson has not responded to the calls for a boycott, but Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Sean Strickland has responded by saying he intends to sell his own Harley-Davidson in protest. He shared to X his reasoning for getting rid of his Harley. “I love Harley. I’ve owned Harleys most of my life,” he said. Then he acknowledged the information that Starbuck had brought to light. “If you love America you won’t want a Harley,” he concluded. He accused the company’s CEO, Jochen Zeitz, of being a “woke zealot.” Starbuck, in a follow-up, noted several things about Zeitz as well, noting he has said in a video that he is the “Taliban of sustainability.” He also signed a statement to end fossil fuel use amongst other things. “The @harleydavidson board needs to remove him if they want to save the company. If he’s not gone, we all know these policies aren’t leaving. At best they’ll be renamed,” wrote Starbuck.
Another user on X, Gary Goldstein, noted the company’s financials have been going down under Zeitz’s leadership. “The financials are important. Harley Davidson’s share price is down 26 percent in the last three years,” wrote Goldstein. He noted that shareholder returns were down 22 percent. “So why is the CEO still there? Politics trump commercial behavior when the corruption starts at the top. The Harley Board needs to remove the head of this snake,” he concluded. “Wow. I didn’t know this,” Starbuck responded to the post. “Not only has Harley gone woke but they’re already going broke before we even raised the alarm. Why in the world would the board keep the woke activist CEO Jochen Zeitz when he isn’t making $ for the shareholders? @harleydavidson needs a change to recover!”