Doomsday for Nike as it axes 1,400 jobs after brutal sales drop caused by woke push

UK Daily Mail ^ | April 23, 2026 | Martha Williams

[C19fan]

Retail giant Nike has announced a fresh wave of job cuts, slashing around 1,400 roles on Thursday in a move set to send shockwaves through its workforce.

The latest layoffs - which are understood to fall heavily on its technology division - come as the sportswear behemoth pushes ahead with a major overhaul aimed at sharpening its competitive edge.

Bosses insist the cuts form part of its aggressive 'Win Now' strategy, designed to streamline operations and position the company for future growth in an increasingly challenging retail landscape.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: h1b; nike; sneakers

[C19fan]

The public finally caught on that Nike are overpriced crappy sneakers. I am Generation X and never wore Nike's in my life.

[Sacajaweau]

Let’s see....if I buy cheaper sneakers, I can buy more drugs and guns.

[ComputerGuy]

There are no Nikes in this Booker’s closet.

[mewzilla]

I’m a geezer and I’ve never owned anything Nike.

[Dutch Boy]

Many years ago, I wore Nike Monarch sneakers. They were very comfortable and durable. Then I got a pair that the soles fell apart when they got wet. I bought a second pair, same thing. The soles fell apart when they got wet. I never bought or even looked at another Nike product.

[dennisw]

I never buy Nike. I buy Asics. For Nike the Air Jordan mystique wore thin after 20 years, of new models every year. That yoofs would line up to buy, steal and riot.

[Vision]

They are a WOKE JOKE, there is no woke push. They chose loser Kaepernick over Betsy Ross for Christ's sake. Hope they go out of business.

[Jonty30]

AI is probably responsible for much of this, because AI can design shoes without limit. They only need a few people to choose between shoes.

[HockeyPop]

Marketing didn’t just sell shoes; it sold identity. “Just Do It” became “Just Buy It… or you’re nobody.” It’s not sneakers anymore. It’s a cult with better commercials.

[Jonty30]

I buy mountain trail shoes now. About three times the cost of a Walmart running shoe, but they will outlast Walmart shoes by 5 times as long.

[PGR88]

I am Generation X and never wore Nike's in my life.

Their trendy woke bullshit drove me away by the early 1990s.

[Marko413]

I had Nikes as a kid. Then I got to college and had to buy everything myself and never bought a pair of Nikes after that. The only sneaker I’ve paid moderate money for over last decade have been a few pairs of Adidas. Those have been great shoes.

[yldstrk]

I am not buying Nike although I like the way some Nike shoes look. Nike angered too many people hiring that football player who knelt during the national anthem.

[Sirius Lee]

Gen X - same. Went from Keds to Adidas to Salomon and stayed with them until most recently with Brooks. Only wear sneakers for running/gym. Don’t know if Brooks is woke. Don’t care really.

[V_TWIN]

In the 90s I bought my 1st pair of nikes for jogging.....it didn’t take long to realize I couldn’t go a whole 3 miles without walking.

A little frustrated I went out and picked up a pair of New Balance and was then able to jog the full 3 miles almost effortlessly.

To this day I have no idea what the difference was but it was the last nikes I ever owned.

[V_TWIN]

Just like so many other brands, your paying for a name.

Owned several, but I’ll say it.....Harley Davidson is like that.

No reason in the world those bikes should cost what they do.....other than the HD brand.

[Candor7]

No Nikes here either...ever since they used kids to make them. Same with Adidas.

https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/fashion-brands-that-still-use-sweatshops

Sketchers are a good conservative shoe that do not violate labor laws as far as I know.They are also none woke

[Resolute Conservative]

Me too. Nothing ever purchased nor worn with a swoosh on it.

[TheThirdRuffian]

I’ve owned Nikes because, for a while, they were the only brand that made shoes for giants. They were better than a shoe that is too small.

Now they all do it seems.

So no big deal.

[T.B. Yoits]

Their [Nike's] trendy woke bullshit drove me away by the early 1990s.

"Woke" wasn't named at the time, nor was the backlash to it, but yes, many people don't realize that certain brands back then were considered "sellouts" or "fake" and avoided because of it.

And for the same reasons also; poor choice of endorser, virtue signaling for some cause, etc.

I remember the Coca-Cola "Fruitopia" promotions, full of fake "earth-loving", hippie type stuff. It was around the same time as "Woodstock II" in 1994. The whole scene was manufactured and failed even prior to 9/11 2001.