Elise Smith Defends DEI as Good Business

In recent years, right-leaning leaders in politics and tech like Donald Trump and Elon Musk have attacked the value of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives. But for Elise Smith, the CEO and co-founder of the tech startup Praxis Labs, learning to navigate cultural differences is simply good business, especially for ambitious multinational companies with employees and clients around the world. "Regardless of what you think about the term DEI, this work will continue, because fundamentally it does drive better business outcomes," says Smith, 34. "Fortune 500 companies are trying to figure out: How do we serve our clients and customers, knowing that there's a ton of diversity within them? How do we bring our teams together to do their best work?"