JD, get out now. Which is probably your plan. We are all fu---d. Fu-k you very much.
21 replies (most recent on top)
@3hhv+1pZFXneK
And just how are these "protected classes" repaying the generosity and the DEI efforts from Nike (Blackrock)?
Oh yes, they are looting and demolishing stores and threatening the staff working there
Concur that JD has gotta go and that the nepotism among McKinsey/Stanford mba hires at Nike is gross. But the posts raging against "DEI hires" is laughable - as though Nike (like all corporations) isn't overrun with mediocre white dudes who got where they are precisely because of skin color & gender. Where's the outrage for that tokenism? Where's the demands to see their resumes or question how they got senior leadership roles or cast doubt on their competence? So every white dude we know got where they are due to merit, and every woman or person of color got theirs due to DEI? Lol suuuuuure buddy.
In a town like Portland overrun with white privilege and white fragility, I'm not surprised at all to see these types of posts. I'll say it again: I'm not defending DEI hires. Just pointing out that tokenism works both ways, white dudes have been enjoying the fruits of tokenism for literal decades, and it's gross every time.
@3hhv+1pZFXneK That’s because it is white fragility and racism. Portland and Nike by extension is a white utopia and it has been since Nikes inception. A lot of these Nike 4 lifers got to enjoy over 30 years of success at Nike simply because they were from Oregon and knew someone. Now that they have to actually compete with true talent and they so happen to not be white they’re stressed. Cry harder, your stale a-s ideas are the reason DEI is here to stay. Maybe you should’ve been better at your job
It’s y’all whining about DEI hires when literally all of them together make up maybe 10% of HQ people. Maybe you should focus on trying harder to be in the 90% that gets the promotion instead of whining about the 1 /10 DEI individual who almost certainly is doubly qualified and has to consistently put up with micro aggressions and being othered by people like you. The cards are literally stacked in your favor and you’re still looking for a reason as to why you they didn’t select you. The reason is you’re just not as good as you think you are. Oregon and Nike is the biggest lie when it comes to being a place of racial harmony and being able to come as you are. Hypocritical as fu-k
No offense to these people but what about the amount of local nepotism, uo, os. Not only keep them but grow them, build them up for future leaders, partnering graduate programs with uo. Unless they went to stanford or harvard. And without getting any other business experience elsewhere. Not only are you discounted for jobs because of locals you have no idea how to operate besides nike. And then rehire leaders after they left yet they go back to their old nepotism habits.
The unabashed racism in these posts are very telling. Nike's brand equity has literally been built on the backs of the protected classes (women and minorities). Complaining about the recent opportunities given to segments of the population that are often overlooked or undervalued screams white fragility. To the other person's post, if employees had to wait for opportunity based on white guys feeling generous there would be no opportunity.
To all you racists, be careful what you wish for....If you would strip away all the equity built by these communities Nike would be much smaller than Adidas--that means you would not have a job. Also for the record, appealing to "obese" people is actually a win it adds top line sales and net new consumers in a crowded field for the brand, which is supporting your paycheck.
The short-sidedness of racism is what I never understand. All of the data shows that majority of white people do not want to shop with brands that do not support inclusion in marketing their products or inclusion of their employees take that away. You are literally fighting a losing battle.
All employees survey gunna be lit again this year.
Nepo hires and Stanford mba hires should be a concern too.....both have been a tremendous source of uselessness.
@2sqt no, you are utterly wrong. I’ve literally watched unqualified people get hired and/or promoted based on race and gender at Nike dozens of times. Unqualified/underqualified people are taking roles from more talented people in the name of racism and s-xism disguised as “DEI”, and we’re all suffering because of it.
@1fyy You do know DEI hiring is not about people’s race over skills don’t you? And assuming someone got the job because they were a DEI hire is racist?
It’s about making sure equal skills get equal opportunity and checking bias. Eg making sure white Ivy leave educated men aren't only promoting their buddies vs a black woman is just as or more qualified
@1faz+1pZFXneK I disagree. You continue to do the same thing over again and again. What doesn’t change is top leadership who still have 20+ years that don’t make changes and is still outdated.
Looking good at someone's race or "identity" before actual experience is exactly what is wrong...DWI and wokeness are ki-ling companies, but as long as a small minority of people don't have their feelings hurt I guess layoffs are good to bring in more under qualified people to help run fortune 500 company.
@1dnq get out of here with your racist reference to new DEI hires being the problem. You should be ashamed of yourself.
The lawsuit payouts from ignorant comments like yours cost Nike way more than any “ megan thee stallion” partnership
@1dnq your Confirmation bias is so strong it’s blinding you.
You think Nike lost market share in women’s because legacy employees were undermined by some newbies? Pretty sure the success of non-Nike brands from non-Nike people says otherwise. I have seen people with decades at nike blocking ideas that are then launched elsewhere and other brands ki-l it.
The Inability to listen or learn from anyone but themselves says more about Nike being stuck in their ways - the exact opposite of being agile and innovative. I’ve seen it time and time again and I can name a few coming.
Do you know the reputation for Nike Lifers have at other brands? It’s that they can’t hack it because they are rigid in their thinking,!aren’t creative at solving problems if they don’t have budget to throw money at things, and spend more time talking than delivering value.
Nike is now following in women’s, and is so behind it may never catch up. Why don’t you try to put only 20 year veterans on the team who have zero experience anywhere else and see how far that gets you.
@1gmz From my experience, the “new” people you speak of are causing Nike’s ship to sink. They keep wasting all of their efforts on things no one cares about. I always think back to the “Meg Thee Stallion” partnership. A bunch of inexperienced, DEI hires built campaigns around it, and spent millions of dollars. The net impact was literally 0. This one example encapsulates Nike’s recent strategies in a nutshell. These new people don’t understand Nike’s brand nor the people that actually pay for its products. Go look on Nike’s IG right now - you’ll see some women’s soccer players and non-binary obese people - because it makes Nike’s DEI hires feel good, and not because it’s good for business.
I've watched them erode away institutional knowledge at the individual contributor level, either letting people retire without trying to document what they know, or laying off people who know everything about a specific Nike niche. But they think it is ok because a handful of VPs surely must know everything! They don't want anybody below the sr. dir. level to have any real input. They say they do, but as soon as you try to do something different or advocate for an idea that goes against the status quo you are in trouble. It's all too common for bright people in the trenches to say "this is what I am seeing and what I think we should do" only for their leadership to completely ignore them in favor of whatever they did that one time 20 yrs ago when they were on that one project.
There is a serious lack of innovative product vision & direction at the highest levels. It's just storytelling and bullsh-t. Who can sell their bad idea best is the name of the game, not any intelligent, rational process for objectively determining what is or isn't a good idea. When you have a culture that rewards silver-tongued ambition, this is what you get.
This is all anecdotal from my 10+ yrs in AIC/NXT. I've worked directly with innovation leadership and seen it all firsthand...
@1faz Completely disagree. Companies need different things at different times. Expecting Nike to survive in legacy talent alone is unrealistic. Thinking there is no talent or good ideas outside of Nike is honestly close minded and egocentric.
Watching Nike to struggle as legacy talent blocks every single new person with a fixed mindset creates a stalemate slow moving ship. embracing a balance of both is necessary for Nikes future and integrity
I disagree with the comment “those with 20 plus years need to leave” I was laid off in 2020 after 24 years. Many others with the same experience either were laid off or left. You know what is different now compared to then? Nike was successful with us as opposed to all the new people who are running the company into the ground now. You don’t know what you are doing!
Top leadership needs to be completely refreshed. Majority of VPs, senior directors, and directors need to be let go. Contribute to nothing and block ideas and initiatives if they want to. People that have been at Nike for 20+ years. Your experience is outdated and it was a different time. Time to get out and let others lead.
JD has been a disaster from day one.
Bring ES back. JD, HON and current leadership needs to go