Posted on 04/09/2025 10:17:24 AM PDT by Red Badger
Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz is set to step down from the company after years of declining sales, which many have attributed to his woke agenda.
The decades-old, world-famous company confirmed the news in a press release on Tuesday.
Zeitz oversaw the company’s recent sales decline, which ultimately resulted in a rollback of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
Between 2022 and 2024, motorcycle sales dropped in all but one quarter compared to the same quarter from the previous year, according to data from Harley-Davidson Investor Relations, via the Daily Caller.
In August, the company announced it would ditch DEI initiatives and restructure its Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs).
According to a post on SHRM CEO Action, the company described the BERGs as its “version of affinity groups and networks.”
Three of the BERGs — African American, Latina, and Asian — were labeled with racial or ethnic categories.
The reversal came after activist Robby Starbuck alleged the company “funded an all-ages pride event” that hosted drag queen story time, forced employees to train to be LGBTQ allies, and even dispatched white male employees to a segregated diversity training.
READ: VP JD Vance Issues Inspiring Message to Young Men: ‘We Want You Guys to Thrive’
Starbuck also said that Zeitz put his signature to the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Pledge.
Zeitz received backlash from the company’s customer base.
“Harley needs to stick with building bikes and leave the wokeness alone,” said Earnest Chapman, a 30-year Harley owner.
Another biker, 56-year-old Nick Randall, said, “I just can’t figure out why he was installed in that role if this is what is happening now,” adding, “They need to figure out a way to get rid of his ass.”
Zeitz appeared hell-bent on pushing his motorcycle company into wokeness, even declaring he would be transitioning their bikes to be all-electric.
He was so focused on environmental policies that he said he earned the moniker “sustainable Taliban” during a talk at the Zermatt Summit Foundation, a public interest group of business and other stakeholders.
Zeitz also slammed President Trump for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords in 2017.
“Sadly with this decision the Trump Administration is choosing to turn its back on the rest of the world,” he said.
PING!............
Go woke, go broke.
A German, Colgate Palmolive, Then Puma, board member of Kenyan Wildlife Service.
Hopefully this helps stop that stupid CEO cult where they believe that ANY random CEO, can be plugged into ANY company and make it work well.
His woke, electric, Chinese factory having, globalist European mentality bullcrap was destructive.
Woke
Selling “wokeism” to potential Harley buyers won’t work.
Stevie Wonder could have seen that.
There was an old joke that said the only difference between a vacuum cleaner and a Harley was the position of the dirt bag. Apparently it was in the C suite.
Stupid leadership!
Dirty little secret about HD: It’s more Honda and BMW now than HD.
Takes a real Bud Lite caliber genius to wokeify HD.
Good riddance. Now remove all board members who supported him. Excise the cancer.
As having been the owner of Harleys for over 15 years I can say with all confidence that woke policies are only part of their problem......those bikes are WAY more expensive than they should be.
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$30k for a touring bike is stupid.
Motorcycle sales in general have been trending lower, mostly due to younger generations being less interested in owning them compared to in the past. The woke and DEI policies of this CEO only accelerated the rate of disinterest.
Not sure if they can ever be profitable again without severe downsizing and becoming specialized.
Any pride fest or story hour events in Sturgis?
All these people that have decided that Men are evil have a problem.
The world doesn’t need “Soyboys” or raving feminists.
Your kids will turn their backs on your BS.
Despite our best efforts Kids have innate sense of what
is good and what is bad for them.
Yes. My wife has a Harley but I have a Yamaha and a Suzuki.
When I am invariably asked why I don’t have a Harley I simply say “I don’t like working on motorcycles.”..............
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out even if there are 1,000 Hell’s Angels waiting to inflict retribution outside that door.
Yeah, right next to the Bud Light tent................
FUNNY how that simple statement keeps getting proven over and over and over and over AGAIN.
The LEFT seems incapable of learning even the simplest of things.
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