Dive Brief:
- Nike is cutting roughly 1,400 roles in its global operations team, the majority focused in technology, Venkatesh Alagirisamy, EVP and chief operating officer, said in a Thursday announcement. The move comes as Nike aims to optimize its supply chain and accelerate technology deployment, according to the announcement.
- The company is creating a leaner operating structure and improving the technology team’s alignment with the business, Alagirisamy said in the announcement. The athletic apparel provider will focus its technology efforts in two main hubs, the Philip H. Knight Campus in Beaverton, Oregon, and Nike India Technology Center.
- “These changes are meant to make the company less complex and more responsive,” he said. “As we look ahead, that means simplifying parts of how we operate, using more advanced automation where it helps us work better, and building an even stronger end-to-end foundation for future growth.”
Dive Insight:
Nike’s job cuts follow a layoff wave among companies, including some targeting technology workers specifically. The trend is beginning to hurt IT worker confidence.
Home Depot in February cut 800 jobs largely concentrated in its technology organization. Amazon has laid off 30,000 employees since October 2025, citing an ongoing culture shift at the company. Meanwhile, Meta is reportedly planning to lay off roughly 10% of its workforce in May, fueled in part by an AI push.
Technology sector companies have laid off more than 52,000 employees in 2026, up 40% from the same time last year, according to an April report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. More layoffs are expected to hit the tech industry this year, according to Challenger, as budgets shift toward AI investments.
The technology industry saw the most significant drop in employee confidence over the last year, following years of company cost-cutting and layoffs, according to a March report from Glassdoor.
Nike’s technology-focused job cuts come as the company enters the final phase of its Win Now turnaround strategy, an effort launched in December 2025 by Nike CEO Elliott Hill focused on innovation and improving operational efficiency. Hill announced major senior leadership changes in December aimed at accelerating Win Now actions, including bringing on Alagirisamy to better connect and integrate technology into business operations.
“He and his team will now be able to look end to end to ensure that technology is fully integrated across the company and into how we create, plan, make, deliver and sell our world-class innovations across our three iconic brands,” Hill said in the announcement at the time.
Hill said during Nike’s Q3 2026 earnings call in March that while the initiative is taking a while to complete, he expects the Win Now actions will conclude by the end of 2026.
“We’re reshaping our marketplace, rewiring how we operate and investing in the technology platforms that we expect will help us serve more consumers better and run our business more effectively,” Hill said during the call.
