Across the Western world, major corporations are rapidly reversing course on the adoption of "woke" policies, signalling a return to business fundamentals and a growing scepticism of social engineering in the workplace.

Over the last decade, many companies rushed to embrace activism rooted in identity politics and critical race theory, introducing mandatory diversity training, group quotas, and public campaigns centred on social justice themes. These efforts, however, often alienated customers and employees, triggered backlash, and weakened organisational cohesion and market performance.

Shareholder revolts, high-profile consumer boycotts, and internal dissent have compelled a series of blue-chip firms to scale back or abandon divisive initiatives. Executives increasingly recognise that such policies can undermine merit-based advancement, dilute focus on product quality and service, and entrench a climate of self-censorship within their organisations.

In place of ideological litmus tests, a growing number of businesses are reasserting traditional Western commercial values, rewarding individual achievement, prioritising customer needs, and maintaining workplace neutrality in political and cultural disputes.

The retreat from woke ideology reflects not just market pressures but also a reassessment of what drives sustainable growth and innovation. Companies are rediscovering that open competition, respect for individual merit, and freedom of thought are vital to their long-term competitiveness and social legitimacy.

As firms abandon activist posturing, they signal to investors, workers, and the public that Western business success rests on timeless principles: personal responsibility, value creation, and equal opportunity for all, without enforced conformity or collective guilt.