Can Nike Make Its Shoes Cool Again?

When Elliot Hill took over as the CEO of Nike about a year ago, he went viral on LinkedIn because of his resume. Everyone was just sharing his, you know, job descriptions for the past thirty seven years, which is all Nike. He just started as an intern at Nike. In interviews, he has said that he basically started, like, moving boxes around and taking calls from customers. And, you know, he rose through the ranks to become an executive. Last month, our colleague, Inti Pacheco, flew to Nike's headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon and sat down with Hill. I mean, I certainly my job has changed now as a CEO, and I've had to learn how to be a CEO, which has been, you know, frankly, a bit of a transition, more time with investors, more time with Visa, like, you know. He says that he has an irrational love for the company. Mhmm. You know, when I was talking to people who know him, they would say that, you know, he gets emotional every time that he talks about the company and the employee base. There are even podcasts where he's, like, they ask him about the company, and he really just starts, like, weeping. For Nike's investors, you could say that there's also been some weeping, but for a completely different reason. The stock is only worth about half of what it was three years ago. Nike's had five quarters of consecutive sales declines. Elliott Hill is the person who has to turn that around. How critical is this is this moment for Nike? I think it's an important moment, and I think, you know, the company is starting to show signs of improvement. But it is, like, I think, the point where things could keep improving, or maybe things don't work out the way they were expecting. We'll have to wait and see. Welcome to The Journal, our show about money, business, and power. I'm Ryan Knudson. It's Tuesday, November 18. Coming up on the show, Nike's CEO and his game plan to turn the company around. This episode is brought to you by Zoom. The way we work is changing, and Zoom is leading the way with meetings, chat, docs, AI companion, and more together on one powerful platform. With everything connected, teams can stay focused, share ideas faster, and actually enjoy getting things done. From smart AI features to tools built for real collaboration, Zoom helps make your work day work for you. Ready to join? Visit zoom.com/podcast to learn more and zoom ahead. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. Apple Card members can earn unlimited daily cash back on everyday purchases wherever they shop. This means you could be earning daily cash on just about anything, like a slice of pizza from your local pizza place or a latte from the corner coffee shop. Apply for Apple Card in the Wallet app to see your credit limit offer in minutes, subject …