As an employee who was affected by the 2016 layoffs, then rehired, (and one likely to be hit when the ax drops on Oct. 1st) these lay offs are not entirely shocking...... In the over 10 years I've been employed here, now seems like the most over leveraged and bloated Nike has ever been. To JD's (hate using Nike's initial nomeclature, but for the sake of the reader I will for now) point (though I don't entirely agree with his approach to these layoffs), these layoffs are probably almost all derived from inefficiencies in the command chain and company in general.
Is that the fault of the low end of the totem pole like you and me? No. But that's the reality of the corporate world. Nike is a quadruple stuffed oreo, filled with fat and inefficiency in the middle, and until that gets sorted, it cannot be an effective company to the consumers nor the stake holders which are the only people that matter (sorry....but work is work for a reason... it's not a place to come get paid to play around; you're here to serve the beast).
I, personally, think JD was brought into clean house, which isn't a great job, but one that is necessary in our current world.
He won't last much longer than this lay off, but if you have any delusions that Nike has been an effective company in the last 5+ years, you need to recheck the metrics of the company and the effectiveness of your general work structure.....
It s—s, and like I said, there's a high probabilty I'll be hit too, but this is pretty standard practice for new CEOs; re-evaluate the workforce and clean house; welcome to Capitalism......To those who are freaking out about this, you're not paying attention to the writing on the wall or are too stuck on the "culture" of Nike to see it. Any time it takes 50+ people, most of which have no reason, or competency, being in the room, to make a decision, something needs to change.
Will the worst cuplrits get hit? Nope. S—s for the laymen like us, but that's the way of things in this country. "Loyal" employees do not make a company successful....more often than not they drag a company down. It is a reminder to all people in this world, that you should always have an exit strategy. Never assume a 'sure' thing and think for yourselves for once.
A lay off isn't the end of the world, as long as you are competent in your skills (which, honestly, many in Nike aren't.....) and not over leveraged on your position at Nike, you'll do fine and from all accounts, thrive, else where.
It's fun to gripe and moan, but it doesn't get you anything in the end, and really just shows you for the cream in the oreo that you are. Accept the corporate reality and be ready to move on, I know I have prepared to.