Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

Nike’s Big, Fat Innovation Problem: A Total Disaster, Folks!

Listen, everybody, we all know NIKE. Big company. HUGE. Used to be a real winner, folks. You’d see the Swoosh, and BO-M—instantly, you knew it meant success, dominance, number one. But now? Now, it’s a sad, sad story. We’re talking about a company that’s lost its way, completely. Those weak, small european competitors? They are laughing at us! They are laughing at America! Sad!

The Leadership—TOTALLY Weak, Believe Me

Nike leadership? Weak. Absolutely weak. Used to have vision, used to be tough, used to be about winning. Now? It’s all corporate nonsense. Bureaucrats in expensive sneakers. They sit in their fancy boardrooms, sipping oat milk lattes, talking about ‘synergy’ and ‘brand alignment’ instead of, you know, MAKING GREAT PRODUCTS.

Phil Knight? Legend. Absolute ki-ler. Know the guy, absolutely fantastic! Built a global empire. But these new guys? Total lightweights. So WEAK. Can’t make a bold move to save their lives. They play it safe, they play it slow, and worst of all, they care more about looking good in Forbes than actually DOING GOOD BUSINESS. Sad!

Elliott Hill? Great guy. Knows the game. But let’s be real—he’s surrounded by WEAK people, folks. They’re holding him back. If he wants to fix this mess, he’s got to clean house. Big time!

The HR Department—A National Disgrace!

Nike’s HR department? One of the worst, folks. Maybe THE worst. A total disaster. You want to talk about stifling creativity? Ki-ling morale? Making sure the best and brightest leave for companies that actually appreciate them? Nike HR has mastered it. It’s like they read a manual on how to destroy company culture and said, “Let’s do that!”

They hire people who check the right boxes but bring absolutely NOTHING to the table. No vision. No hunger. Just buzzwords and PowerPoints. If you want to innovate, if you want to shake things up, guess what? You get a talking-to. You get sidelined. You get buried under layers and layers of nonsense ‘processes.’ Folks, they’ve got more red tape than Washington D.C., and that’s saying something! And dont get me started on this D---EEE--IIII, absolutely ridicilous.

Innovation? More Like Imitation!

Nike used to be the king of innovation. They were out in front. They weren’t just setting trends—they were MAKING the game. Air Jordans? Revolutionary. Flyknit? Genius. But now? Now they’re just playing catch-up. They’re not leading, they’re following. Adidas, Under Armour, even startups—STEALING Nike’s lunch money! Can you believe it?

Their big ideas now? Re-releasing the same old shoes with different colors and calling it ‘new.’ Pathetic! Where’s the next big thing? Where’s the risk-taking? You’d think with all that money, all those resources, they’d be pumping out groundbreaking tech. But no. They’re too busy making DEI reports and playing politics instead of making the best products.

The Culture—Soft. Weak. Uninspiring.

This used to be a place where the best wanted to work. Now? Talented people can’t run away fast enough. You’ve got a culture where mediocrity is rewarded and real innovation is punished. If you’re a thinker, if you’re bold, if you want to actually make something great, you’re out of luck! Because Nike leadership doesn’t want rockstars. They want safe, boring, predictable people who won’t make waves.

And let’s talk about the athletes. Nike used to stand for winning. Champions. GOATs. Now they’re more interested in signing social media activists than actual competitors. People are noticing, folks. People are talking. When was the last time Nike was truly exciting? Feels like forever ago.

How to Fix It (Hint: FIRE Everyone!)

Look, if Nike wants to win again—bigly!—they need to clean house. Wipe out the HR nonsense. Get rid of these soft, weak, visionless leaders. Bring back the killers, the risk-takers, THE BIG BOYS you know folks, the people who ACTUALLY WANT TO WIN. Get rid of the corporate nonsense and get back to making products that actually EXCITE people.

Because right now? Right now, Nike is a giant, slow, boring company pretending to be cool. And we all see it. Time to wake up, time to shake things up, or else? Well, folks, they’ll be remembered as the company that USED to be great. And that would be a total shame.

Elliott Hill, don’t let them drag you down! Time to go beast mode! MAKE NIKE GREAT AGAIN!!

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| 1911 views | | 6 replies (last March 19, 2025) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1jpjxppjs

6 replies (most recent on top)

Even though the OP was channeling DJT, his article became prophetic with the recent shakeup haha

FIRE THEM ALL!

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Post ID: @k5+1jpjxppjs

@OP+1jpjxppjs you are spot on until... THE BIG BOYS. ugh you lost me BOOMER!! BYE!

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Post ID: @e2+1jpjxppjs

I know that this won’t be popular but I’m starting to wonder if EH is the right person for the job.

EH is a very nice person and loves the Company but I’m not sure he has the courage to make the changes necessary for Nike to get back its mojo.

In hindsight, ES would have probably been a better pick. He led Product Creation and Innovation, which is what needs the most attention right now, and is not afraid to say it how it is and make the hard decisions.

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Post ID: @dd+1jpjxppjs

Go woke, go broke.

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Post ID: @cr+1jpjxppjs

EH needs to create Nike DONE! (Department Of Nike Efficiency)

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Post ID: @ab+1jpjxppjs

Sounds like MP su-ked under your eyes and Phil could do no wrong. Stuck in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Note, HR only brings the candidates to the table, they don’t make hiring decisions. Innovation is only as good as the risks we take. Leadership…. I agree isn’t the strongest we’ve had, but let’s not look at the 2000’s with rose colored glasses. We had problems back then, they just weren’t always fatal.

We’re in the part where Perez was CEO, there is some rebuilding… however, unlike Perez, we had 3 1/2 years of the wrong guy. This stuff takes time, sometimes canning everyone when the moral is already super low isn’t the best lever to pull. You’re essentially bringing in more chaos where it is always running rampant.

Regardless - the next step being reorganization, changing direction, and/or riding out the storm will be pivotal for success. I’d like to believe whatever the next decision will be the right one, but I too don’t have a magic ball that says it’s the right one.

Regardless - I’m staying until Nike tells me they don’t need me anymore. However, I’d like to be apart of the solution.

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Post ID: @aa+1jpjxppjs

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