The report recorded a significant drop in the number of companies willing to report their work on non-discrimination policies, equitable benefits, an inclusive workplace culture, and corporate social responsibility - the four pillars of the CEI - as the current administration publicly disparaged DEI programs and rooted out initiatives across the federal government. The CEI saw a dramatic 65% drop in participation this year, falling from 377 Fortune 500 companies in 2025 to just 131 such companies in 2026.
Goldman Sachs quietly crowned CEO David Solomon the early 2025 pay leader among Fortune 500 companies with a double-digit percentage raise that puts him above both JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon and Disney's Bob Iger. While not all Fortune 500 companies have released their executive compensation for 2025, banking CEOs like Solomon and Dimon are among the early winners. Still the most eye-popping pay drop may belong to Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol, whose 2025
