International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is facing a lawsuit alleging it discriminated against Black executives when it terminated them to align with the Trump administration’s push to eliminate federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
Former IBM executive Zena Washington filed the 15-page lawsuit on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. According to the suit, Washington, who spent 26 years with the company before her dismissal in February 2025, held various roles in product management and engineering, most recently serving as director of product management for data and AI.
According to the lawsuit, Washington “was viewed as an excellent employee” and consistently received positive performance reviews and bonuses. She was also selected for an IBM program that prepares employees for senior executive roles.
“This is further evidence that until her termination, IBM viewed the plaintiff as one of the most highly valuable employees with strong potential to go into a C-Suite executive role,” the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, after a new general manager took over in January 2024, the leader — who is South Asian — unexpectedly asked Washington to complete an “executive interview,” a process in which employees discuss potential alternative roles with human resources.
While the employee or their direct supervisor usually initiates such interviews, Washington claims neither she nor her manager expressed interest in her changing positions, making the request unusual.
The lawsuit further alleges that the general manager made several remarks suggesting Washington hadn’t earned her role, including one comment implying she held the position only because of “who she knew.”
CEO Says ‘Of Course’ To Following Trump’s Anti-DEI Mandates
Following the November 2024 election, Washington claims that IBM CEO Arvind Krishna said during a routine Q&A session that the company would comply with the government’s DEI directives.
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, since taking office in January 2025, President Trump has signed several executive orders to dismantle “illegal DEI” initiatives across the federal government.
Washington said that shortly after the inauguration, there was an “inexplicable exodus” of Black executives from IBM. “In order to appease the Trump administration, and to remain favored by the Department of War and other government agencies with large IBM contracts, defendant removed several high-profile African American employees, despite the fact that there was no performance-based reason to terminate their employment,” per the lawsuit.
While IBM said her termination resulted from a corporate reorganization and workforce reduction, Washington attributes the move to racial bias. She claims her duties were later assigned to an Asian woman with “substantially less tenure” and fewer qualifications.
According to Law 360, an IBM spokesperson denied the allegations, calling them “baseless” and asserting that race did not affect Washington’s termination.
“Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated by IBM and is entirely inconsistent with our culture and values,” the spokesperson said.
Washington is seeking at least $1.05 million in damages, citing violations of the 1866 and 1964 Civil Rights Acts, harm to her reputation, and emotional and mental stress, the lawsuit states.
