A report published by the Burning Glass institute last year described the growing trend of cutting degrees as a requirement as 'an essential step in reducing inequity in the American labor market.'
Seems part of the motive is that blacks are less likely to have a college degree, so some companies are replacing B.A. requirements with how one contributes to a company's diversity.
They may have included that “reducing inequity” statement only because it has PR value and sounds good to applicants.
Those companies can say whatever they want for PR purposes, but I’m convinced a big factor in this change is that it costs much less to hire someone who doesn’t come with a huge college debt for a useless degree that contributes nothing to the employee’s skill set.