Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

@fj You are only barely scratching the surface.

It’s not about woke. Yes, that ideology is very present at Nike. However the problem is that none of them know how to make anything. If you are going to make a product (shoes), you should know what goes into making those shoes. That’s the problem with Nike. They think they are a brand, not a producer. They miss the point.

@eg I know people like to assign “cause and effect” reasons that conveniently align with whatever political narrative they want to advance. But the stale “Go woke go broke” narrative doesn’t jibe with what we know about Nike’s much larger issues. To wit:

1. The ousted CEO went all-in with Nike’s own internal distribution channels, tossing hundreds of smaller, loyal, long-time distributors to the curb. Huge mistake since those distributors were some of the best grassroots Nike salespeople. That caused shelf space at those retail outlets to be assigned to Nike competitors. Speaking of which…

2. While Nike was resting on its laurels and not innovating, both newer and older competitors swept in with compelling products. Brands like Hoka, On, Brooks, and several others introduced new shoes that resonated with consumers. And why not? After all, Nike’s shoes were no longer on the shelves.

3. In the last couple of years Nike basically stopped with its innovative marketing. I mean, it really is like they basically just stopped with the award-winning advertising and marketing campaigns that the company is famously known for. That was another error instigated by the former CEO, who didn’t seem to understand that Nike is - at its core - a marketing company that just so happens to make footwear and apparel. As such it became a case of “out of sight out of mind” with consumers.

Nike made various other missteps that, combined, caused the company to lose market share. But “wokeness”, to the extent it’s even a problem for Nike, wasn’t one of those material missteps.

How do we know that? Simple: Nike has been a “woke” company since at least the early 1980’s, when they were the first company to feature an openly g-y athlete in their adverts; something that was very controversial at the time. And over the years they’ve done similar “woke” things time and time again. Literally dozens of times. It worked because Nike well-knows who its core demographic is. And that hasn’t changed. So if “wokeness” was the issue (much less a primary issue), you’d be hard-pressed to explain Nike’s success and massive growth over the last 40 years.

Nah, what you’re doing here is something a lot of people do these days: you’re inserting an explanation that placates your emotions and what you WANT to be true. While simultaneously ignoring all of the other, far more rational reasons that explain Nike’s current state.

By way of analogy, you’re basically claiming that DEI caused an aircraft disaster (as our esteemed POTUS claimed last year) that instead very much appeared to have been caused by helicopter pilot error; an error that had absolutely nothing to do with DEI.

I know, I know…you badly WANT to believe DEI ki-led Nike. Nah. A series of business misstep after misstep put Nike in its current position. You just have to be willing to see those missteps for what they were and are.

jesus, cant escape that fu--ing ballroom even in layoff

@eg

woke is just the fake patina, not the actual strategy or culture of this brand

@dj why do you reckon Nike is doing so poorly after going full woke? Pandering marketing and product to woke audiences instead of simply building the most inspirational and innovative goods for athletes. Financially incentivizing DEI targets so every management layer looks like a neatly organized box of crayons instead of simply hiring the most capable. Shouldn’t Nike be doing stellar if this is all so culturally relevant?

It’s about time Nike as a whole divests of its BS ideology and gets back to business doing what it’s supposed to do, which is make money.

EH will go to the white house with a pair of golden jordans before the end of 2026

put this on kalshi

I remember when Reddit was a place where smart people shared interesting and original thoughts. When did it get filled with such gullible people? Now it’s just one big echo chamber where the lazy and socially awkward gather to complain.

Fake news…