Red Bull - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Red Bull is High Risk.

Red Bull is High Risk. The company yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. 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	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	Lower Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High 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:

Red Bull fired an executive for showing a ‘racist’ slide to the company’s US Marketing Team. The executive was let go after the slide was leaked to the general public (1)(2). Red Bull 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). The company promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Code of Business Ethics, which suppliers are held to, requires international vendors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy (6). However, Red Bull has not publicly 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:

Lower

Rationale:

Red Bull does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Red Bull protects its employees against viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Red Bull hosted Renaissance One, an event in support of LGBTQ causes (1). The company has used its reputation to promote LGBTQ Pride (2)(3). Red Bull supports DEI within its business practices. From its Diversity and Inclusion Webpage: “Inclusion is at the very heart of our culture, enabling us to optimise our Team, sport, and fan experience across the globe. But we can always do better, and we have aspirations to be an even more diverse and inclusive organisation” (4). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Red Bull using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (5).

Criteria:

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

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Red Bull was a member of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (1)(2)(3). In 2023, the company donated $5000 to the Stonewall Pride March (4)(5)(6). In 2023, Red Bull sponsored the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade, the San Diego Pride Parade, and a Pride celebration in Philadelphia that featured drag performances (7). In 2024, it sponsored Seattle Pride (8). In 2026, the company sponsored Pride St. Charles, an LGBTQ+ Pride event which included a drag story time specifically for children (9)(10). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of Red Bull using corporate funds to advance ideological (11).