What to know about Robby Starbuck, influencer linked to Walmart DEI overhaul
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Robby Starbuck. Photo: Jason Davis/Getty Images
Walmart said this week it will phase out several major diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and one conservative influencer is taking the credit for it.
Why it matters: Robby Starbuck, a former music video director, has championed several right-leaning causes on social media, making anti-DEI advocacy the centerpiece of his online brand.
- He's been tracking the companies that have walked back their initiatives, including John Deere, Harley-Davidson and Lowe's, but Walmart is the biggest yet.
Catch up quick: Earlier this month, the New York Times called him the "anti-D.E.I. agitator that big companies fear most."
- The paper said Starbuck made videos attacking nearly a dozen companies — all of which went on to announce retreats from their DEI policies.
- Starbuck has used his social audience, including nearly 360,000 Instagram followers, to threaten boycotts.
What they're saying: "I've been talking to companies who will be following in their footsteps," Starbuck told Axios over email of Walmart's move. "I do have a list of targets."
Between the lines: In addition to his anti-DEI efforts, Starbuck champions several right-wing causes online.
- At the beginning of the COVID pandemic, Starbuck campaigned against mask and vaccine mandates.
- He became a vocal supporter of bills that banned gender-affirming medical care for minors, as well as drag shows, in Tennessee.
- He directed an anti-LGBTQ+ documentary that aired on X, which opposes gender-affirming medical care.
Reality check: Despite claiming credit, Starbuck and his followers are likely not the only thing making companies like Walmart do an about-face.
- Companies have been walking back DEI efforts all year, after an immediate post-2020 pushback from lawmakers and even billionaires like Elon Musk and Bill Ackman.
- Starbuck's rise coincides with a recent Pew Research Center study that found that slightly more news influencers explicitly identify as Republican, conservative or pro-Trump.
