Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

Which layer of VPs we talking about? There’s about 4 of them.

That’s 3 too many by my count.

“ Reports from May and June 2025 indicate that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a significant factor in recent layoffs across various industries. AI-driven automation, meant to boost productivity and reduce costs, is contributing to workforce reductions and impacting job seekers.
Key examples of AI-driven layoffs include:
IBM: IBM laid off 8,000 employees, primarily in support roles like Human Resources, with the intention of replacing them with AI. They utilized an AI-driven chatbot called "AskHR" to handle a large percentage of HR tasks.
Microsoft: Microsoft cut 6,000 jobs, with a significant portion targeting software engineers. The company stated that AI is now writing 30% of their code.
Other Tech Companies: Google, Intel, and Amazon have also reduced their workforce as AI-driven restructuring gains momentum. Meta also reduced its workforce.
Walmart: Walmart's technology team saw job cuts last week.
Workday: Workday, a software firm, announced plans to lay off over 1,700 workers (8.5% of their workforce) to redirect investment towards AI.
Impact on Different Roles and Industries:
Software Engineers and Developers: These roles are significantly impacted, with a substantial portion of recent layoffs at Microsoft affecting them.
Entry-Level Workers: Entry-level white-collar jobs, particularly those involving routine tasks that AI excels at, are at high risk of being eliminated.
Financial Analysts: AI's ability to quickly analyze vast amounts of financial data and identify trends poses a risk to financial analyst positions.
Digital Marketers: Many digital marketers fear AI replacing content writers, as AI can generate content at a lower cost.
IT, Retail, and Manufacturing: These industries are also facing significant job transformation and potential job displacement due to AI automation.
Overall Picture:
Increased Layoffs: Over 61,000 jobs were eliminated across more than 130 tech firms due to AI-driven transformations as of mid-2025.
Shift in Hiring: Big Tech companies have reduced hiring for new graduates, indicating a shift towards automating certain roles.
Focus on Efficiency: Companies are leveraging AI to improve efficiency and reduce costs, leading to workforce reductions.
Need for Reskilling: A large number of workers will require retraining to adapt to the changing job market as AI transforms job requirements. ”

“ Other companies have made it work without yet another sla-ghter.”
OP- every company is doing this and has been for decades. It’s been happening frequently at every company frequently since 2020. Most companies have reduced a huge percentage of their workforce through attrition, while slipping through the cracks publicly because of their investors. Not sure where you’ve been or you have selective observations.
The only thing that makes real headlines is layoffs but total number headcount rarely does and these issues aren’t new to 2025.

We make shoes and tees for goodness sake! Not saving lives - get over the saliva dripping cool-aid!

“It’s never just business. It will never be. If it ever becomes just business, that will mean that business is very bad.”

“If we do the right things we’ll make money damn near automatic.”

Guess who?

Hot take: maybe just maybe the problem isn't that the VPs didn’t throw themselves on the bonfire of capitalism, but that the company has one tiny, annoying goal: to make money.

Wild concept, I know. But apparently "cost-effective, creative solutions" don’t carry much weight unless they also come with a forecast, a margin, and preferably a PowerPoint slide showing shareholder value in bold Arial font.

Everyone's got genius ideas after the cuts. But if those magic fixes didn’t show up before the budget review, they’re just noise.

Harsh? Sure. True? Also yes. The real problem? Nike’s not in the business of feelings. It’s in the business of profits, sneakers, and hype cycles.

Until a cost-effective solution sells more shoes than a layoff saves, guess which one's getting greenlit?

But hey, keep the passion. Just aim it at building something revenue-generating next time. That tends to get more traction than chicken metaphors.

Hot take: maybe, just maybe, the problem isn't that the VPs didn’t throw themselves on the bonfire of capitalism, but that the company has one tiny, annoying goal: to make money.

Wild concept, I know. But apparently "cost-effective, creative solutions" don’t carry much weight unless they also come with a forecast, a margin, and preferably a PowerPoint slide showing shareholder value in bold Arial font.

Everyone's got genius ideas after the cuts. But if those magic fixes didn’t show up before the budget review, they’re just noise.

Harsh? Sure. True? Also yes. The real problem?
Nike’s not in the business of feelings. It’s in the business of profits, sneakers, and hype cycles.

Until a cost-effective solution sells more shoes than a layoff saves, guess which one's getting greenlit? But hey, keep the passion. Just aim it at building something revenue-generating next time. That tends to get more traction than chicken metaphors.

VPs at Nike have become a complete joke. These people wouldn’t last a second at another Fortune 500. Almost all of them lack courage, or vision, or both. They are simply yes-men and yes-women who get paid ridiculous amounts of money while adding no real value. What’s shocking is it wasn’t even half this bad 10, 15, 20 years ago.

What’s the lead time for decisions to end? 2-3 months? If so decisions maybe made for an August reorg.

This should be required summer reading for VPs: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16144853-leaders-eat-last

Are you sure the decisions have been made ?
What is the timing ?