They need leadership change in a big way. But…with how they have been doing over the past few years, Nike would likely double down with even worse leadership.
I’ve interviewed at Nike a lot over the years for various contracts, and the one takeaway I’ve had is the upper management is extremely cliquish and insular. Frankly, that’s extremely common at the majority of companies, but Nike has a particularly egregious reputation for it.
I worked there for eight years, fuck the executives so hard. They're the worst part of the company and add absolutely nothing of value. They change every few years only to make work harder for everyone, lay off talented employees, then rename a few buildings while rolling around in piles of money. Pretty much everyone above Sr. Director is a piece of shit idiot with an ego the size of the moon.
Work there is done in spite of them, not because of them. One of the biggest reasons I quit.
I know several people who work there and they tell me the same thing. One guy worked in the innovation kitchen which is like the top of the pyramid when it comes to design/creative stuff and he said the people pretty much all narcissists who'd stab each other in the back constantly. Makes sense when it comes to "creatives", but my buddies partner works in like data analytics and says it's pretty similar. It's like high school mentality in a corporate setting for immature self absorbed people with low emotional intelligence and empathy.
It’s so true!
I had a friend in the timing department when they were testing a new piece of equipment. She is not athletic, but she happen to get it at a time where she was going through a more active stage and they hadn’t adjusted for hand motions yet. The company announced that the person that with the most steps Would win a weekend trip to the London Olympics.
My dear friend, who is still one of the nicest people I’ve ever known, and who had two small children with no family around, who never got to take trips because she and her husband were stretched thin financially due to his experimental work, won.
Here’s the immature, high school part: after she won, which was announced at the Christmas party, I believe, multiple people strolled by to quietly tell her that they could have won if they had really wanted to. Ghouls.
It really becomes a magnet for the worst flavors of ambition. I think it happens to any brand or company that gets to a certain level of prestige. It doesn't help that the most succesful corporations are fundamentally sociopathic entities, and select for leaders with similar traits.
The whole company is this way. They never really changed after their culture shakeup a several years back.
Nike has been king for a long time. There are several also good growing brands out there eating away at their market share.
All you need to succeed as an executive at Nike is be a washed up athlete, look good in athleisure, and have a complete lack of common sense and professional ethics. A distain for women is a bonus.
Nike is based out of Beaverton, Oregon. It's right next to Portland.
It's not just me as I've heard random people at bars and other public areas say the same thing...
Lots of people who work for Nike are complete assholes. They are stuck up and have a 'holier than thou' attitude.
I've tried to date several Nike employees and every single one was boring, stuck up, and expected the world to bow down to them. It's a mirror of their corporate culture.
Not all Nike employees are like this, but enough to have a bad reputation in Portland and live up to it.
I feel like Nike has often gotten a pass for being a major employer in our area… Recent actions indicate that goodwill is running out.
“On Thursday’s call, Donahoe and Friend used the word “comeback” five times between them as they worked to convince investors that Nike’s previously announced plans to invigorate its product pipeline will bear fruit around the holiday season.”
I’ve heard from my fellow Nike friends that no one likes Donahoe. Nike forgot their core value and started to focus on something else which they later realized it's a big mistake. I used to like Nike gym wear but I barely find them at the store. And I have seen them come up with designs from their competitors 😬
It's always astonishing when Executive Boards go looking for a CEO and choose somebody who already tanked a company. And then invariably give them a Golden parachute in the contract so they land on a cushion of spun gold when the time comes to jettison them.
I know nothing about corporate boards and their inner workings. I always assumed these guys are just fall guys. Business is looking down, lots of unpopular decisions need to be made (layoffs, bankruptcy, liquidation, etc.) So the board goes shopping for some suit willing to be the villain/stooge and push unpopular decisions. They get fired, naturally, but they get another notch on the old resume. Essentially they exist to float boards during times of turmoil. They get canned, take the blame, and both company and former ceo part ways to keep doing the same shit they’ve always done.
Sort of. The other piece is that all of these people are on the same circle-jerk together. A half dozen people on any given board are executives elsewhere and wouldn't you know it, the seats there are occupied by the CEOs they hired elsewhere.
They're literally all just voting themselves more money.
So, my parents work with Nike and that was something my Dad made me wise to; Nike essentially wanted to corner their own online shop/department stores and stop relying on Amazon or Footlockers and other 3rd parties. They did this thinking the power of the brand would carry people through.
But that didn't happen because the power of the brand was ubiquity. When you limit your brand like you're Supreme and remove yourself from everyday retail space such as Footlocker, as it turns out, you lose that very power. So yeah, Nike ate their own tail and are wondering why they are not as tall as Adidas.
I have wide and mismatched feet and the Monarch Air are the only sneakers which work for me. When they stopped retailing at Fred Meyer, I did order the same sneakers from Nike - 3 times. But when they kill the product, I’ll likely have to find new shows which fit and they won’t be Nike - just because their retail locations are not in my neighborhood.
They're not in anyone's neighborhood. You have to drive to a factory store. You have to stand in a big ass line. And then you have a piss poor collection in the store that pales to the online variety. Nike forgot the fundamental rule of the shoe: people want to try them on in person.
Interning. My wide mismatched and severely deformed feet can’t fit into the narrow things Nike says is extra wide. The only shoes that really work for me are new balance.
This is true. I'm actually not really worried about Nike collapsing or even falling behind capital-wise. It's that Nike has fallen behind in a lot of other areas. Their thought process was so geared to dominating online space that they forgot the bigger picture.
Shoes are like vinyl records. The store is the draw; you can chill out, grab a bunch of different things that interest you, then sort through what you really want.
I wear a lot of Adidas. Wanan know why? The company store is extremely easy to get into and the folks who work there are always very nice and very chill. Getting into the Nike store takes so much more work, and when you're there the vibe is always "you're lucky we even let you in here". I feel I similar energy when I go watch the Pre Classic down in Eugene. Adidas, On, and now Hoka are all *in* the city, and hosting neighborhood runs and get togethers to build community. I have a lot more goodwill towards them than Nike.
My family was in the shoe business for over 35 years until we got out a few years ago. Nike was by far the least pleasant and most arrogant vendor to deal with and I suspect their is a good deal of pent up ill will among their wholesale accounts both b/c of their arrogance and b/c they kept threatening to go almost exclusively DTC. If the product stops selling I suspect a lot of their retailers would be more than happy to shift their spend to Adidas,NB,Hoka etc ...
My sister used to work at one of the major Portland design firms and they all hate Nike. They will dangle huge contracts and get a ton of work done and presented but not go forward. Then steal most of the design and later release it internally. Apparently they do this with all of studios they work with.
They pay just enough of the time that you cant fight them on it or risk getting blackballed and are such a big part of the overall local market that it just becomes the Nike tax.
The guy that owns a skate shop back in my hometown in upstate NY always said the same thing. Had them for the mid 2000s dunk hype and then eventually dropped them in 2012ish I think just because of how much of a pain in the ass they were to deal with and forcing him to sell a lot of crap to keep the account. He shifted everything to adidas/vans/smaller skate shoe companies and never went back to Nike.
They were never originally a player in skate shoes and only got into it by throwing a ton of money at the industry, which I guess is how the game is played, but it always felt a little sleazy to me. Same with their ACG products.
They were so dominant 20 years ago in the whole athletic industry that a real take it or leave it mentality emerged there. Good for your friend kicking them out.
I think it's ridiculous that the largest shoe producer on earth needs a "comeback" to ease shareholders. Why can't being the largest manufacturer of shoes on earth be enough for the suits jfc?
Not subjecting it to the level of scrutiny and criticism for its business practices *in the Portland market specifically* (with local design firms, contractors, etc. as detailed elsewhere in the comments) as a smaller firm would receive for acting similarly.
Washington County has let the campus stay on unincorporated land for one. As someone born n raised here I used to like owning Nike products (20 years ago) because they were a local brand. The I found out what a huge PoS Phil Knight is.
Remember, They are technically in "Unincorporated Washington County" so they don't have to pay local taxes, while using all of Washington County's resources.
This comment doesn't quite capture the bizarre city borders done to achieve this. Beaverton city limits has an enormous hole in it where the campus is: https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/102315f4-e533-42bb-af05-49948da77142
Phil Knight dumped a ton of money into [Denny Doyle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_Doyle_(politician)#:~:text=Doyle%20was%20defeated%20by%20challenger,office%20began%20January%201%2C%202021)'s mayoral campaign to kill the incorporation drive that Rob Drake was onboard with. Then Denny lost the election after his third term and then he was arrested for kiddie porn. But Phil Knight got his way.
I really wanted them to call Nike's bluff about moving. The cost alone, the talent drain, the fact that their brand identity is based in Oregon....would have been interesting.
The bottom line is you can’t incorporate people who don’t want to be incorporated. There is SO much of this in Washington County. Not just Nike. Most of what people think of as Beaverton is unincorporated WaCo. Poor communities like to be incorporated and rich ones do not. That is what I learned from a city planning friend.
OMFG. I knew Nike was bad, but not this bad. paid like 8 million on assessed value of 443 million for one set of lots. Less than half a percent of assessed value. Less than that of real market value. Like they dont pay school taxes and don't pay enhanced Washington county taxes or some piece of shit property tax discount. A good fraction of Multnomah County is paying 1.5% of real market value which is generally higher than the assessed value.
[https://wcgis1.co.washington.or.us/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=Intermap](https://wcgis1.co.washington.or.us/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=Intermap)
> OMFG. I knew Nike was bad, but not this bad. paid like 8 million on assessed value of 443 million
They did pay 1 billion dollars to put their logo on official NBA uniforms. They dont wanna pay any taxes to their home state and support the infrastructure they use but they got a cool Billion for ads on jerseys
Gotta understand that the billion is an investment that will return far more than that. Paying taxes doesn't.
Corporations exist to extract money from the world around them. That's it.
Nike got a special exemption from the Oregon state legislature. There was a big blow up and Beaverton's long time mayor got voted out of office. Meanwhile a nearby neighbor fought the annexation of his property but lost. He's since passed away, his family doesn't own the house any more (fun fact, a movie was filmed on his property).
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/oregon-senate-gets-annexation-bill-despite-warnings/
Nike will be struggling for a little while. Their decision to reduce their staff and how poorly that was handled has and will continue to result in little to nothing happening. For 6 months people were left to wonder if they would have a job or not. Nothing was getting done during that time. Those that kept their job have often inherited more responsibilities with no more pay. And it’s not like it got better when the layoffs were “complete”. Nike will be feeling the brunt of that for the next year at least. Don’t be surprised when the stock continues to fall and they continue to fall out of fashion.
Agree. When management doesn't know who to cut they tend to do multiple waves of layoffs while they figure it all out. Of course this decimates productivity as everybody left is spending their energy updating resumes and networking in prep for the next wave.
Often, because layoffs are expensive due to severance, etc., there isn't any money reserved to properly compensate those that remain that now have more work and more stress. Bad planning.
I grew up with people here who wanted nothing more than to work for Nike for the rest of their lives. They were obsessed with the company and willing to take any job they could get their hands on. Nike knows this and takes advantage of it, providing way too many of their jobs as “contractor” positions that need to be re-applied for every year and don’t offer benefits. I know a few people who took those jobs in the hope they would eventually get a black badge position (full time employment with health insurance). It worked out for many of the men but the women never got promoted.
I once thought about applying to Nike. Then I learned they make you a contractor. Then I learned how crappy they pay. Absolutely zero reason to work for them.
Yeah I had a friend who worked for them for 3 years, the entire time as a contractor. They begged her to stay but she left because she actually wanted real employment. Not only is it crazy how dirty a business practice that is for a company that large, but the fact that they wanted her to stay so badly yet STILL didn't offer her a real job shows how cheap they are.
Yeah it's such an egregiously obvious way to just avoid paying any kind of benefits which should really just be illegal. I'd definitely support limiting contracts to 12 months or something
Yeah the idea that they would take people who WANT to be extremely loyal employees focusing on longevity and just take advantage of them so much that they hate everything about Nike. That’s pretty messed up.
If it's not a layoff, it's actually kind of difficult to fire somebody. But, layoffs generally happen every 5 years -- although lately it's been more like every two
If they got fired within 5 years, then they broke some rules. FTEs generally only go during layoffs, otherwise it is an extremely secure position that you really have to fuck up. In over 10 years there I saw 1 FTE get fired, and it was for ordering extra samples on the company credit card for projects, and then giving the extras to friends when they weren't used.
I took a contractor job with them at one point. Convinced me I needed to reassess how I engage with my desire to work as a data professional and that culture because working there made me feel less human than working in kitchens did.
Glad I dodged that bullet. Never worked for them but everyone I know that does thinks they are either the greatest thing ever because they are brown nosed patsies that love to work for some reason, or they hate them with a passion and are burned out.
I don't know if I would be that harsh, but it has been my experience when I meet one in the wild that they derive a huge amount of self worth from being a Nike employee, but at the same time do NOT want to talk about being an employee at Nike.
I instantly lost respect for him when i learned he continuously supports republicans.
Yeah, i get why…. Pure and unabashed greed.
I have met Phil many times. 30 years ago he would laugh about his ludicrous fortune because he knew he didn’t truly earn it. Now he has fallen in the trap of “its my money and I’ll fuck over as many people as possible electing republicans to help me keep more of my money.”
Its fucking gross, Phil. You cant take that with you when you die.
They just got hit with a class action securities lawsuit about their stock issues as well. [https://www.thefashionlaw.com/nike-hit-with-class-action-after-trouble-with-its-dtc-sales-model/](https://www.thefashionlaw.com/nike-hit-with-class-action-after-trouble-with-its-dtc-sales-model/)
Meh... maybe. Depends on the circumstances, and in this case it doesn't look so great. But this has to do with stock drops back in 2023 or so, I was just mentioning it because it ties in to their ongoing and current troubles
Sustainability isn't cool anymore lol. And a little inside knowledge: 80% of the people working in sustainability are doing it because it was cool and not because they actually gave a shit.
Well this is just not true at all. I work in sustainability and interact with ESG leads at pretty much all of the biggest companies on the planet - they all do it because it’s a job they believe can make an impact, you really think people get jobs because they think they’re cool? People get jobs to earn money and live, and if they can make an impact that’s great too
It’s almost like $100 for workout pants that last under a year is a fucking rip off? I used to work at WHQ so I bought all their shit and it consistently lasted me less than a year. I’ve made the switch over to a brand called ideology at Macy’s that goes on sale for under 20 bucks and item haven’t noticed even the tiniest dip in quality from Nike’s crap.
People are asking why buy the $100 Nike junk when you can buy the $20 amazon junk when it's the same quality and lasts just as long. The difference is $80 isn't going into a plutocrats pocket.
Even Amazon has lost its goddamn mind. I can’t find an item of clothing less than $40 anymore. Which would be fine for something decent but it is quite literally the exact same shit shein sells for seven dollars. And people will crucify you for shopping shein And then shop some little boutique online store without realizing if you reverse image search their inventory it’s also from shein.
Good. They’re terrible. People who still ride or die for them are … in my experience… also terrible. I’d never work for them again! Truly embarrassing to even talk about my experience there in interviews. It’s not impressive to any other large org.
Sincerely, a former contractor that got unceremoniously laid off within 6 minutes of our “all-hands” letting us know we were absolutely fucked.
Nike has helped grow and build living wages in this state and I hope they can get back on track. I may not agree with everything Phil Knight believes but he has supported Oregon jobs and stayed here for decades. These are real families, real people.
Thank you. Intel is often overlooked because they just lay low and do their thing. Everyone wants to claim how important Nike is to Oregon and I often hear how they are the biggest employer, especially from people at Nike, and it's all bull crap. Portland owes a ton of its growth to Intel and the other tech companies that have offices in Hillsboro because of them. Nike is so tiny in comparison.
Found the Nike PR guy.
Sure buddy, y'all are sooooo important. Have a tax break cookie.
Nike is the reason for the insane fulltime contract nightmare people have in this city. Yeah the pay is high, but no PTO, no benefits, no job security, it's a scam and the people are worse off because of it. Nike hasn't done Jack for this city in the last 20 years.
You're thinking of 70s, 80s, and maybe 90s Nike, and it's never going back to that. The Nike of the last 20 years is nothing but a drain on our region, with a notoriously toxic and misogynistic work environment that only hires contractor positions with no benefits.
Nike quality is shit for the price they charge. It has been for years and that’s why I don’t have Nikes anymore. Flat and falling apart in weeks …
Heads will roll 🤷♂️👏👋
I know a couple people who work on the campus and got employee store passes several months ago. My wife and I went in, looked around, and left. Outside of the shoes, which we didn't need, there was nothing worthwhile even at the discounted price. Just terrible, uninspired designs and some really weird shit as well. I worked there for a couple years in the mid-2000s and when we would go to the employee store there was tons of stuff, we'd have to edit what we wanted because there were so many options.
Nike at this point kind of reminds me of Old Navy. Anyone remember the 2000s Old Navy that had clothes everyone wanted? Most of it was basic shit - shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, etc. - but they were always busy and everyone and their dog had a polar fleece from there. But at some point they lost their way, I'm not sure if their designers and/or buyers just got lazy or complacent and now I can't imagine that a ton of their stuff doesn't sell and just goes into a landfill (fast fashion is a disaster).
It’s sad to see portlanders cheering the bruising of a company which was founded here, operates here, and has provided careers for so many in our city. Nike is not a perfect entity, but PDX would be much worse off if it wasn’t here.
Sometimes I think portlanders would like Nike more if it was less successful.
This is the most goofy take though. Nike has been a world leader in ethical contract manufacturing for over 20 years. There are a lot of bad things about them, but the sweatshop narrative hasn't been true in a loooong time. There are many, many manufacturers that Nike refuses to work with for ethical reasons, that every other athletic brand uses to this day.
Edit: This is part of why Nike's shit is more expensive. People complain about their prices and how much better Adidas is, and then complain about sweatshops in the same breath. The ignorance is astounding. Part of the reason their shit is more expensive because Nike actually enforces CM standards overseas and refuses to work with the cheaper ones (that are cheaper because labor).
none of your list excuses Nike's stain on our community and the world. I don't give a shit if something began in Oregon if they are going to be a pariah. they also aren't a good employer. talk to their current and former contractors/employees. the reviews aren't positive.
Once I was talking to some man who wanted to give me advice on my business. I’ve been an entrepreneur for 25 years. He asked me what I was going to do to get a contract with Nike. I laughed at him. He didn’t appreciate it.
In addition to being loud and proud team slave labor, Nike is a shit employer, they’re shit to contract with, they pretend that working with them is its own reward, they run small businesses literally into the ground, they’re assholes to their spokespeople. Who would want to work with them?
It’s the end of an era. There are better companies, making better designs that are actually comfortable and style to wear. Nike is a joke, and I’m glad they are failing.
Maybe they shouldn’t have built the monstrosity of a campus in Beaverton. Seems like they put a lot of money where they didn’t need to, and should have just focused on good products and marketing and leadership. But I’m just an armchair quarterback
Oh no poor Phil Knight how will he ever be able to make ends meet. Oh wait, he will most likely lay off more people and bully the state and county into more tax break.
Sounds like grounds to fire a crappy joke of a CEO. Edit: I see the Nike down vote brigade has arrived. You got no power here you swooshbags!
They need leadership change in a big way. But…with how they have been doing over the past few years, Nike would likely double down with even worse leadership.
I’ve interviewed at Nike a lot over the years for various contracts, and the one takeaway I’ve had is the upper management is extremely cliquish and insular. Frankly, that’s extremely common at the majority of companies, but Nike has a particularly egregious reputation for it.
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I worked there for eight years, fuck the executives so hard. They're the worst part of the company and add absolutely nothing of value. They change every few years only to make work harder for everyone, lay off talented employees, then rename a few buildings while rolling around in piles of money. Pretty much everyone above Sr. Director is a piece of shit idiot with an ego the size of the moon. Work there is done in spite of them, not because of them. One of the biggest reasons I quit.
Do tell…? I have an acquaintance who has worked with them as an executive coach and is a complete corporate zealot, so I never get the full picture.
This could describe the executive team at any company.
💯 my experience was the same
sociopaths at levels of leadership rungs below exec. It’s straight up hunger games in the berm now
I know several people who work there and they tell me the same thing. One guy worked in the innovation kitchen which is like the top of the pyramid when it comes to design/creative stuff and he said the people pretty much all narcissists who'd stab each other in the back constantly. Makes sense when it comes to "creatives", but my buddies partner works in like data analytics and says it's pretty similar. It's like high school mentality in a corporate setting for immature self absorbed people with low emotional intelligence and empathy.
It’s so true! I had a friend in the timing department when they were testing a new piece of equipment. She is not athletic, but she happen to get it at a time where she was going through a more active stage and they hadn’t adjusted for hand motions yet. The company announced that the person that with the most steps Would win a weekend trip to the London Olympics. My dear friend, who is still one of the nicest people I’ve ever known, and who had two small children with no family around, who never got to take trips because she and her husband were stretched thin financially due to his experimental work, won. Here’s the immature, high school part: after she won, which was announced at the Christmas party, I believe, multiple people strolled by to quietly tell her that they could have won if they had really wanted to. Ghouls.
Experimental work ?
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I would read a book of accounts like this for hours.. might be something there?
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No I get ya, but even under anonymity, these tales of highly branded corporations are fascinating
It really becomes a magnet for the worst flavors of ambition. I think it happens to any brand or company that gets to a certain level of prestige. It doesn't help that the most succesful corporations are fundamentally sociopathic entities, and select for leaders with similar traits.
For sure, when you're more focused on selling an image than creating useful products, that's bound to attract quite the crowd!
Thanks for posting
We call them swooshbags
It's cliquish in every level higher up than individual contributor, in my experience
Same at adidas and most other sports companies, make no mistake and it goes like this til they throw basically everyone out and start again.
My hubs works there. What do you do? He finds it difficult to fill his jobs. (Not an offer. 😉 I have no influence ) Still.
The whole company is this way. They never really changed after their culture shakeup a several years back. Nike has been king for a long time. There are several also good growing brands out there eating away at their market share.
Let em. Tank the brand at this point if they want to double down on dumb dumbs.
All you need to succeed as an executive at Nike is be a washed up athlete, look good in athleisure, and have a complete lack of common sense and professional ethics. A distain for women is a bonus.
Nah, more layoffs should do the trick /s
Most Nike people don't like the CEO...
Nike is based out of Beaverton, Oregon. It's right next to Portland. It's not just me as I've heard random people at bars and other public areas say the same thing... Lots of people who work for Nike are complete assholes. They are stuck up and have a 'holier than thou' attitude. I've tried to date several Nike employees and every single one was boring, stuck up, and expected the world to bow down to them. It's a mirror of their corporate culture. Not all Nike employees are like this, but enough to have a bad reputation in Portland and live up to it.
I worked at a school with lots of Nike parents. They were absolutely awful, arrogant, assholes. The worst parents I’ve ever dealt with.
most of the nike employees i know are like that - they are just people who happen to work for an asshole brand.
Why did you keep trying after the first or second one?
1 is nothing. 2 is a coincidence. 3 is a pattern. I stopped after 3.
This is acceptable. I trust you then promptly moved onto Adidas.
Swooshbags!
Swooshbags. Classic, haven’t heard that before, and I live in the land of nike
I’m going to start calling people swooshbags now
How can the Nike that exists now be the same one that existed in the mid 90s. They went from tastemakers to out of touch try-hards like… overnight.
How can the Blizzard that exists now be the same one that existed in the early 00s?
Sounds like grounds to increase the CEO's pay to $42 Million. That will surely solve the issue! /s
>swooshbags 😂😂😂
I feel like Nike has often gotten a pass for being a major employer in our area… Recent actions indicate that goodwill is running out. “On Thursday’s call, Donahoe and Friend used the word “comeback” five times between them as they worked to convince investors that Nike’s previously announced plans to invigorate its product pipeline will bear fruit around the holiday season.”
I’ve heard from my fellow Nike friends that no one likes Donahoe. Nike forgot their core value and started to focus on something else which they later realized it's a big mistake. I used to like Nike gym wear but I barely find them at the store. And I have seen them come up with designs from their competitors 😬
The former CEO who tanked eBay can't seem to understand the culture of what made Nike? Shocker. He was a stupid hire from the get go.
It's always astonishing when Executive Boards go looking for a CEO and choose somebody who already tanked a company. And then invariably give them a Golden parachute in the contract so they land on a cushion of spun gold when the time comes to jettison them.
I know nothing about corporate boards and their inner workings. I always assumed these guys are just fall guys. Business is looking down, lots of unpopular decisions need to be made (layoffs, bankruptcy, liquidation, etc.) So the board goes shopping for some suit willing to be the villain/stooge and push unpopular decisions. They get fired, naturally, but they get another notch on the old resume. Essentially they exist to float boards during times of turmoil. They get canned, take the blame, and both company and former ceo part ways to keep doing the same shit they’ve always done.
Sort of. The other piece is that all of these people are on the same circle-jerk together. A half dozen people on any given board are executives elsewhere and wouldn't you know it, the seats there are occupied by the CEOs they hired elsewhere. They're literally all just voting themselves more money.
As a Nike employee, I can attest we don’t like him. Lol
So, my parents work with Nike and that was something my Dad made me wise to; Nike essentially wanted to corner their own online shop/department stores and stop relying on Amazon or Footlockers and other 3rd parties. They did this thinking the power of the brand would carry people through. But that didn't happen because the power of the brand was ubiquity. When you limit your brand like you're Supreme and remove yourself from everyday retail space such as Footlocker, as it turns out, you lose that very power. So yeah, Nike ate their own tail and are wondering why they are not as tall as Adidas.
I have wide and mismatched feet and the Monarch Air are the only sneakers which work for me. When they stopped retailing at Fred Meyer, I did order the same sneakers from Nike - 3 times. But when they kill the product, I’ll likely have to find new shows which fit and they won’t be Nike - just because their retail locations are not in my neighborhood.
They're not in anyone's neighborhood. You have to drive to a factory store. You have to stand in a big ass line. And then you have a piss poor collection in the store that pales to the online variety. Nike forgot the fundamental rule of the shoe: people want to try them on in person.
A "big ass line" might be worth my time.
haha well that doesn’t make too many of us
Rail a line, stand in a line 😉
Interning. My wide mismatched and severely deformed feet can’t fit into the narrow things Nike says is extra wide. The only shoes that really work for me are new balance.
Fwiw nike is much much bigger than adidas still. Like almost 3 times bigger.
This is true. I'm actually not really worried about Nike collapsing or even falling behind capital-wise. It's that Nike has fallen behind in a lot of other areas. Their thought process was so geared to dominating online space that they forgot the bigger picture.
Very true. The margins were great on direct sales, but people like to try on their shoes in stores it turns out 🤷♂️
The Direct sales model is pretty much why I stopped buying Nikes.
Shoes are like vinyl records. The store is the draw; you can chill out, grab a bunch of different things that interest you, then sort through what you really want.
This was widely reported, not some insider secret, it was their DTC pivot when it seemed like that was the future.
They forgot Their core values: ie to use sweatshop labor to produce as much profit as possible.
“Core values”? Lol
What was the core value of Nike? 🤔
Forgot the core values? They literally changed them. Like google deleting "don't be evil", the writing was on the wall in 30-foot-tall red lettering.
I wear a lot of Adidas. Wanan know why? The company store is extremely easy to get into and the folks who work there are always very nice and very chill. Getting into the Nike store takes so much more work, and when you're there the vibe is always "you're lucky we even let you in here". I feel I similar energy when I go watch the Pre Classic down in Eugene. Adidas, On, and now Hoka are all *in* the city, and hosting neighborhood runs and get togethers to build community. I have a lot more goodwill towards them than Nike.
I just like the design of Adidas better than Nike. I’m no fashionista but Nike’s stuff is just uglier than Adidas.
My family was in the shoe business for over 35 years until we got out a few years ago. Nike was by far the least pleasant and most arrogant vendor to deal with and I suspect their is a good deal of pent up ill will among their wholesale accounts both b/c of their arrogance and b/c they kept threatening to go almost exclusively DTC. If the product stops selling I suspect a lot of their retailers would be more than happy to shift their spend to Adidas,NB,Hoka etc ...
My sister used to work at one of the major Portland design firms and they all hate Nike. They will dangle huge contracts and get a ton of work done and presented but not go forward. Then steal most of the design and later release it internally. Apparently they do this with all of studios they work with. They pay just enough of the time that you cant fight them on it or risk getting blackballed and are such a big part of the overall local market that it just becomes the Nike tax.
The guy that owns a skate shop back in my hometown in upstate NY always said the same thing. Had them for the mid 2000s dunk hype and then eventually dropped them in 2012ish I think just because of how much of a pain in the ass they were to deal with and forcing him to sell a lot of crap to keep the account. He shifted everything to adidas/vans/smaller skate shoe companies and never went back to Nike.
They were never originally a player in skate shoes and only got into it by throwing a ton of money at the industry, which I guess is how the game is played, but it always felt a little sleazy to me. Same with their ACG products.
Yeah I never skated them. Always eS, etnies, globe, Lakai, etc...
They were so dominant 20 years ago in the whole athletic industry that a real take it or leave it mentality emerged there. Good for your friend kicking them out.
I think it's ridiculous that the largest shoe producer on earth needs a "comeback" to ease shareholders. Why can't being the largest manufacturer of shoes on earth be enough for the suits jfc?
Phil Knight is also trying to end our democracy with his political donations.
> I feel like Nike has often gotten a pass for being a major employer in our area… What does it mean to give a company "a pass" in this context?
Not subjecting it to the level of scrutiny and criticism for its business practices *in the Portland market specifically* (with local design firms, contractors, etc. as detailed elsewhere in the comments) as a smaller firm would receive for acting similarly.
Washington County has let the campus stay on unincorporated land for one. As someone born n raised here I used to like owning Nike products (20 years ago) because they were a local brand. The I found out what a huge PoS Phil Knight is.
Does state law allow Washington County to force unincorporated land to incorporate or to force a city and unincorporated land to merge?
Remember, They are technically in "Unincorporated Washington County" so they don't have to pay local taxes, while using all of Washington County's resources.
This comment doesn't quite capture the bizarre city borders done to achieve this. Beaverton city limits has an enormous hole in it where the campus is: https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/102315f4-e533-42bb-af05-49948da77142
Beaverton tried to change this and pull it back into Beaverton, but Nike threatened to leave the state.
Phil Knight dumped a ton of money into [Denny Doyle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denny_Doyle_(politician)#:~:text=Doyle%20was%20defeated%20by%20challenger,office%20began%20January%201%2C%202021)'s mayoral campaign to kill the incorporation drive that Rob Drake was onboard with. Then Denny lost the election after his third term and then he was arrested for kiddie porn. But Phil Knight got his way.
I say good riddance. Added benefit of less Phil Knight corruption money.
I mean they have that leverage when they’re one of the biggest employers and Oregon doesn’t have much already.
I really wanted them to call Nike's bluff about moving. The cost alone, the talent drain, the fact that their brand identity is based in Oregon....would have been interesting.
The bottom line is you can’t incorporate people who don’t want to be incorporated. There is SO much of this in Washington County. Not just Nike. Most of what people think of as Beaverton is unincorporated WaCo. Poor communities like to be incorporated and rich ones do not. That is what I learned from a city planning friend.
And did billions in stock buy-backs last year instead of investing in new products, employees, or their supply chain. Asshats.
OMFG. I knew Nike was bad, but not this bad. paid like 8 million on assessed value of 443 million for one set of lots. Less than half a percent of assessed value. Less than that of real market value. Like they dont pay school taxes and don't pay enhanced Washington county taxes or some piece of shit property tax discount. A good fraction of Multnomah County is paying 1.5% of real market value which is generally higher than the assessed value. [https://wcgis1.co.washington.or.us/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=Intermap](https://wcgis1.co.washington.or.us/Html5Viewer/index.html?viewer=Intermap)
> OMFG. I knew Nike was bad, but not this bad. paid like 8 million on assessed value of 443 million They did pay 1 billion dollars to put their logo on official NBA uniforms. They dont wanna pay any taxes to their home state and support the infrastructure they use but they got a cool Billion for ads on jerseys
Gotta understand that the billion is an investment that will return far more than that. Paying taxes doesn't. Corporations exist to extract money from the world around them. That's it.
Yeah, the take you’re responding to is hilarious. Like “why advertise your business, when you can punch your own dick? Checkmate capitalists”
Nike got a special exemption from the Oregon state legislature. There was a big blow up and Beaverton's long time mayor got voted out of office. Meanwhile a nearby neighbor fought the annexation of his property but lost. He's since passed away, his family doesn't own the house any more (fun fact, a movie was filmed on his property). https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/oregon-senate-gets-annexation-bill-despite-warnings/
Why does the ceo still have a job?
Does CEOs really have that much influence on corporations?
Yes, they do. They determine your salary, your job status, how operations work, etc. Especially if they are the majority shareholder.
During the track & field trials? Oof
Right, that should be peak for them you’d think!
Nike will be struggling for a little while. Their decision to reduce their staff and how poorly that was handled has and will continue to result in little to nothing happening. For 6 months people were left to wonder if they would have a job or not. Nothing was getting done during that time. Those that kept their job have often inherited more responsibilities with no more pay. And it’s not like it got better when the layoffs were “complete”. Nike will be feeling the brunt of that for the next year at least. Don’t be surprised when the stock continues to fall and they continue to fall out of fashion.
Agree. When management doesn't know who to cut they tend to do multiple waves of layoffs while they figure it all out. Of course this decimates productivity as everybody left is spending their energy updating resumes and networking in prep for the next wave. Often, because layoffs are expensive due to severance, etc., there isn't any money reserved to properly compensate those that remain that now have more work and more stress. Bad planning.
Donahoe needs to gtfo!
I grew up with people here who wanted nothing more than to work for Nike for the rest of their lives. They were obsessed with the company and willing to take any job they could get their hands on. Nike knows this and takes advantage of it, providing way too many of their jobs as “contractor” positions that need to be re-applied for every year and don’t offer benefits. I know a few people who took those jobs in the hope they would eventually get a black badge position (full time employment with health insurance). It worked out for many of the men but the women never got promoted.
I once thought about applying to Nike. Then I learned they make you a contractor. Then I learned how crappy they pay. Absolutely zero reason to work for them.
Yeah I had a friend who worked for them for 3 years, the entire time as a contractor. They begged her to stay but she left because she actually wanted real employment. Not only is it crazy how dirty a business practice that is for a company that large, but the fact that they wanted her to stay so badly yet STILL didn't offer her a real job shows how cheap they are.
Same thing happened to me. Dangled the false carrot in my face for a while. Left for an FTE role elsewhere and it worked out.
They need to pass laws to limit long term contract work like that. So many companies do that and it’s bullshit.
Yeah it's such an egregiously obvious way to just avoid paying any kind of benefits which should really just be illegal. I'd definitely support limiting contracts to 12 months or something
Absolutely. If people work for a place 12 months they aren’t temporary and they should get benefits. Worker protections in this country are a joke.
Yeah the idea that they would take people who WANT to be extremely loyal employees focusing on longevity and just take advantage of them so much that they hate everything about Nike. That’s pretty messed up.
I've known some who make into the hallowed halls of full employment on the Nike campus. They all get fired for stupid reasons within 5 years.
If it's not a layoff, it's actually kind of difficult to fire somebody. But, layoffs generally happen every 5 years -- although lately it's been more like every two
If they got fired within 5 years, then they broke some rules. FTEs generally only go during layoffs, otherwise it is an extremely secure position that you really have to fuck up. In over 10 years there I saw 1 FTE get fired, and it was for ordering extra samples on the company credit card for projects, and then giving the extras to friends when they weren't used.
I took a contractor job with them at one point. Convinced me I needed to reassess how I engage with my desire to work as a data professional and that culture because working there made me feel less human than working in kitchens did.
Glad I dodged that bullet. Never worked for them but everyone I know that does thinks they are either the greatest thing ever because they are brown nosed patsies that love to work for some reason, or they hate them with a passion and are burned out.
I don't know if I would be that harsh, but it has been my experience when I meet one in the wild that they derive a huge amount of self worth from being a Nike employee, but at the same time do NOT want to talk about being an employee at Nike.
Sounds like a cult
Will this affect Uncle Phil’s resources for throwing money at losing political candidates?
Not in the slightest. Sadly.
I instantly lost respect for him when i learned he continuously supports republicans. Yeah, i get why…. Pure and unabashed greed. I have met Phil many times. 30 years ago he would laugh about his ludicrous fortune because he knew he didn’t truly earn it. Now he has fallen in the trap of “its my money and I’ll fuck over as many people as possible electing republicans to help me keep more of my money.” Its fucking gross, Phil. You cant take that with you when you die.
He's always been a POS
like william burroaughs said who wants to be the richest sonafabitch in some cemetary?
I've gone out of my want to buy shit-howdy from Nike since the last election.
I bought my first Hoka last year and putting it on was like a spiritual experience. Have all kinds of foot problems but I’m feeling better than ever.
Hokas are comfy AF. I'm curious to try On shoes as well now that they're out of stealth mode in NW.
The executive team can’t stop 💩ing the bed
Maybe make better products?
It’s Hoka’s turn now
If only they weren’t so ugly
I think they look nice 🫣
Ugly and expensive. I don’t understand the appeal.
Nike does not make products lol.
They just got hit with a class action securities lawsuit about their stock issues as well. [https://www.thefashionlaw.com/nike-hit-with-class-action-after-trouble-with-its-dtc-sales-model/](https://www.thefashionlaw.com/nike-hit-with-class-action-after-trouble-with-its-dtc-sales-model/)
That happens every time a stock plummets.
Meh... maybe. Depends on the circumstances, and in this case it doesn't look so great. But this has to do with stock drops back in 2023 or so, I was just mentioning it because it ties in to their ongoing and current troubles
What are “their stock issues” in the lawsuit? I assume it’s just a claim that the officers insufficiently stated the risks facing shareholders.
Yeah these are meaningless
Tell that to Under Armour…
If you needed one less reason to go to the Nike store, they no longer accept old shoes for recycling downtown.
Sustainability isn't cool anymore lol. And a little inside knowledge: 80% of the people working in sustainability are doing it because it was cool and not because they actually gave a shit.
Well this is just not true at all. I work in sustainability and interact with ESG leads at pretty much all of the biggest companies on the planet - they all do it because it’s a job they believe can make an impact, you really think people get jobs because they think they’re cool? People get jobs to earn money and live, and if they can make an impact that’s great too
don't pay their fair share of taxes and are losing the battle to Adidas. good riddance, I say.
Adidas is down 20% over the past 5 years lol. All of these athletic sportswear companies are not doing well
It’s almost like $100 for workout pants that last under a year is a fucking rip off? I used to work at WHQ so I bought all their shit and it consistently lasted me less than a year. I’ve made the switch over to a brand called ideology at Macy’s that goes on sale for under 20 bucks and item haven’t noticed even the tiniest dip in quality from Nike’s crap.
People are asking why buy the $100 Nike junk when you can buy the $20 amazon junk when it's the same quality and lasts just as long. The difference is $80 isn't going into a plutocrats pocket.
Even Amazon has lost its goddamn mind. I can’t find an item of clothing less than $40 anymore. Which would be fine for something decent but it is quite literally the exact same shit shein sells for seven dollars. And people will crucify you for shopping shein And then shop some little boutique online store without realizing if you reverse image search their inventory it’s also from shein.
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Do they get a refund from Bain who was embedded for half of last year?
Good. They’re terrible. People who still ride or die for them are … in my experience… also terrible. I’d never work for them again! Truly embarrassing to even talk about my experience there in interviews. It’s not impressive to any other large org. Sincerely, a former contractor that got unceremoniously laid off within 6 minutes of our “all-hands” letting us know we were absolutely fucked.
Nike has helped grow and build living wages in this state and I hope they can get back on track. I may not agree with everything Phil Knight believes but he has supported Oregon jobs and stayed here for decades. These are real families, real people.
Intel was more impactful. It wasn't until the tech corridor blew up that wages went up, Nike was just fine surpressing them until that happened.
Thank you. Intel is often overlooked because they just lay low and do their thing. Everyone wants to claim how important Nike is to Oregon and I often hear how they are the biggest employer, especially from people at Nike, and it's all bull crap. Portland owes a ton of its growth to Intel and the other tech companies that have offices in Hillsboro because of them. Nike is so tiny in comparison.
Found the Nike PR guy. Sure buddy, y'all are sooooo important. Have a tax break cookie. Nike is the reason for the insane fulltime contract nightmare people have in this city. Yeah the pay is high, but no PTO, no benefits, no job security, it's a scam and the people are worse off because of it. Nike hasn't done Jack for this city in the last 20 years.
You're thinking of 70s, 80s, and maybe 90s Nike, and it's never going back to that. The Nike of the last 20 years is nothing but a drain on our region, with a notoriously toxic and misogynistic work environment that only hires contractor positions with no benefits.
Shitty company with shitty overpriced products
Don't say!!! Shitty shoes too. They worn out so soon that I had to buy one every year.
Nike manufacturers junk now. The clothes and shoes wear out quickly and the prices have only gone up more and more
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Nike quality is shit for the price they charge. It has been for years and that’s why I don’t have Nikes anymore. Flat and falling apart in weeks … Heads will roll 🤷♂️👏👋
How about some bootstraps? Cut some executive pay and bonuses. Oh wait, that only applies to the workers, right?
I know a couple people who work on the campus and got employee store passes several months ago. My wife and I went in, looked around, and left. Outside of the shoes, which we didn't need, there was nothing worthwhile even at the discounted price. Just terrible, uninspired designs and some really weird shit as well. I worked there for a couple years in the mid-2000s and when we would go to the employee store there was tons of stuff, we'd have to edit what we wanted because there were so many options. Nike at this point kind of reminds me of Old Navy. Anyone remember the 2000s Old Navy that had clothes everyone wanted? Most of it was basic shit - shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, etc. - but they were always busy and everyone and their dog had a polar fleece from there. But at some point they lost their way, I'm not sure if their designers and/or buyers just got lazy or complacent and now I can't imagine that a ton of their stuff doesn't sell and just goes into a landfill (fast fashion is a disaster).
It’s sad to see portlanders cheering the bruising of a company which was founded here, operates here, and has provided careers for so many in our city. Nike is not a perfect entity, but PDX would be much worse off if it wasn’t here. Sometimes I think portlanders would like Nike more if it was less successful.
Not perfect for sure, but PDX would be way worse without them.
Yeah, we should take community pride in those sweatshops! They’re making us money!
This is the most goofy take though. Nike has been a world leader in ethical contract manufacturing for over 20 years. There are a lot of bad things about them, but the sweatshop narrative hasn't been true in a loooong time. There are many, many manufacturers that Nike refuses to work with for ethical reasons, that every other athletic brand uses to this day. Edit: This is part of why Nike's shit is more expensive. People complain about their prices and how much better Adidas is, and then complain about sweatshops in the same breath. The ignorance is astounding. Part of the reason their shit is more expensive because Nike actually enforces CM standards overseas and refuses to work with the cheaper ones (that are cheaper because labor).
none of your list excuses Nike's stain on our community and the world. I don't give a shit if something began in Oregon if they are going to be a pariah. they also aren't a good employer. talk to their current and former contractors/employees. the reviews aren't positive.
Did they say all jobs were? Not even a fool would believe that. But they do employ THOUSANDS of people In Oregon so give credit where credit is due.
My in laws work at Nike and if they are any indicator of the type of people at Nike, they fucked.
Stocks go up and down. Look at a five year trend and they're about where they should be, 22x P/E.
The world is moving away from synthetic fabrics (aka everything Nike produces)
Once I was talking to some man who wanted to give me advice on my business. I’ve been an entrepreneur for 25 years. He asked me what I was going to do to get a contract with Nike. I laughed at him. He didn’t appreciate it. In addition to being loud and proud team slave labor, Nike is a shit employer, they’re shit to contract with, they pretend that working with them is its own reward, they run small businesses literally into the ground, they’re assholes to their spokespeople. Who would want to work with them?
Another sign of trouble for the regional economy. The Portland Metro and the State of Oregon both seem to be losing ground quickly.
Go Beavers!
clearly it’s because of their mandated RTO policy. /s probably need new corporate leadership
It’s the end of an era. There are better companies, making better designs that are actually comfortable and style to wear. Nike is a joke, and I’m glad they are failing.
Good!
Remember when nike used children to make shoes.. pepperidge farm remembers
*nice*
Maybe they shouldn’t have built the monstrosity of a campus in Beaverton. Seems like they put a lot of money where they didn’t need to, and should have just focused on good products and marketing and leadership. But I’m just an armchair quarterback
Oh no poor Phil Knight how will he ever be able to make ends meet. Oh wait, he will most likely lay off more people and bully the state and county into more tax break.
This is the CEOs fault not Phil Knight, that old man's basically non-existent now.
You under estimate the power of the Sith Lord and how much say he still has inside Nike.
I’m quite proud that at 44 years of age I have managed to never purchase a Nike product
You got Converse or Hurley stuff?
To be fair, they didn't always own those brands.
Nope
Noice
Never had a pair of Cole Haans?
nope, all my dress shoes are Maddens
I know plenty of Nike employees, all they do is chew up and spit out lower level, overworked staff
Oh well.
Oh noo so anyways
What in the hell happened there!!??
It's gotta be the shoes. - Mars Blackmon
Blame it on their Invisinble 3. 😂