"If conservatives do not like our values, they should take their money to Home Depot," says what appears to be a CNBC graphic attributing the quote to Ellison, in an August 27, 2024 Threads post. The user who posted the image adds: "Go Woke and Go Broke soon. Lowe's just lost a lot of customers."
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Screenshot of a Threads post taken August 28, 2024
Similar posts spread elsewhere on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X, with many calling on consumers to boycott the store.
Posts targeting what some call "woke" values have regularly spread online, particularly criticizing efforts to boost diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within companies, schools and public institutions.
Many companies face pressure to scale back or cut initiatives from critics and courts, amid a wave of legal challenges to affirmative action policies. Lowe's is the latest corporation to pare back on its DEI policies.
Security company Cyabra found fake profiles are effectively spreading boycott calls on social media (archived here), subjecting companies to brand disinformation campaigns that have the potential to influence consumer behavior. AFP previously debunked numerous claims peddling fabricated claims alongside the slogan, "go woke, go broke."
The recent posts sharing the purported Ellison quote are similarly false.
"This statement is false. Lowe's CEO did not make this comment. Everyone is welcome at Lowe's," said the company's official X account in an August 26, 2024 post, responding to a user...
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