For full disclosure, I am a white male that got let go earlier this year after 20 years with the company and yes, chatgpt helped rewrite my rant in the following professional manner.
Chevron’s Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) organization was once the benchmark of operational excellence, a “Platinum” model respected across the energy sector. Backed by deep technical expertise and field-driven leadership, it played a critical role in upholding Chevron’s reputation for safety and discipline.
Today, that reputation is that Chevron is plain and simple, get the job done with the cheapest way possible. HSE is an afterthought.
Insiders and industry observers say the HSE function has lost its edge, evolving into a bureaucratic arm focused more on compliance optics than real safety outcomes much of what was seen in 2019 and repeated over and over again including this year. Chevron HSE Moto was White Males not wanted. Look at today's HSE demographics. Experienced white male professionals have been replaced or sidelined in favor of internal favorites and corporate climbers, with leadership roles increasingly filled by those lacking field or technical experience.
Chevron’s recent cultural pivot, including a strong emphasis on DEI initiatives, has sparked a rash of incidents. When qualifications and expertise take a back seat, especially in high-stakes functions like HSE, the results can be damaging.
The shift is already visible: incident reviews are increasingly sanitized, technical audits feel performative, and institutional knowledge is quietly being kicked out the DEI no white males allowed door. These are all my opinions rewritten by ChatGPT.