Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev)

Rating Overview

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is Medium Risk.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company elevates merit, excellence, and integrity ahead of race and identity-based policies. AB InBev occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	High Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	High Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Medium Risk
Funding	High Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

AB InBev received a score of 80 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group. The company recruits employees based on sexual identity issues. The company discriminates against vendors that do not promote divisive sex and gender policies, indicating it prioritizes sexual issues over merit (1)(2). AB InBev was a member of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, which demonetized and suppressed content that it deemed to spread “hate speech” or “misinformation”, discuss “debated social issues in a negative or partisan context”, or “vilif[y]” individuals based on sexual orientation and gender identity. These arbitrary guidelines were used to censor mainstream perspectives online (3)(4)(5). In April 2023, America First Legal filed a Civil Rights lawsuit against AB InBev for illegal, racist, and sexist hiring practices (6). However, the company has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (7).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

AB InBev’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company will not donate to non-religious charities unless they embrace controversial sexual identity policies (1)(2). AB InBev does not discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (3)(4).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

AB InBev’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company forces employees to attend multiple, controversial trainings on gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender issues, and divisive racial ideology. The company provides a specific benefits guide with a comprehensive explanation of transgender services funded by the company (1)(2). AB InBev requires all managers complete unconscious bias training as part of its annual review process (3). America First Legal filed a letter with the EEOC requesting a civil rights investigation into AB InBev over discriminatory practices in hiring (4)(5). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (6).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

AB InBev created a global DEI council to “execute” its DEI priorities and formed external partnerships with groups that promote diversity pledges in the workplace (1). The comapny’s former CEO, Carlos Brito, signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (2)(3). AB InBev is committed to carbon neutrality by 2040 (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

AB InBev’s HRC 2025 CEI rating indicates the company covers transgender related costs for its employees and their children, including paid short-term leave, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, chest surgeries, genital surgeries, medical visits and lab monitoring, travel and lodging. By allowing a political stakeholder group to dictate operations, the company increases health care costs and risks dividing employees, alienating customers and harming shareholders (1)(2). AB InBev was a member of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (3)(4)(5). The Anheuser Busch Foundation and Bud Light are corporate partners of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to which Bud Light donated $200,000 in 2022 (6)(7). In April of 2023, Bud Light sponsored a transgender influencer and sponsored 3 LGBT Pride parades (8)(9)(10). The company and its subsidiaries pledged support to BLM and/or related racial equity causes (11)(12)(13). Michelob Ultra pledged $100 million toward gender equality in sports, including the sponsorship of transgender athletes (14). In the past AB InBev has sponsored Planned Parenthood fundraisers, though there are no records indicating the company has done so recently (15). Bud Light sponsored the Kentuckiana Pride Festival & Parade in 2025 (16). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (17).