Nike is benching some of its employees.
The sportswear giant said Thursday that it is cutting about 1,400 roles in its global operations division, mainly in technology. Venkatesh Alagirisamy, who became chief operating officer in December, announced the reductions in a memo to staff detailing several changes “in the coming weeks.”
Alagirisamy wrote that the company is in the “final stretch” of the turnaround plan, dubbed its “win now” actions, which focuses on five key areas: culture, product, marketing, marketplace, and in-person presence.
The changes include modernizing manufacturing, reallocating resources, and reshaping Nike’s tech team, according to the memo.
The cuts mark Nike’s second round of cuts in 2026, following the elimination of 775 distribution center jobs.
CEO Elliott Hill told analysts in a March earnings call that the turnaround plan is taking “longer than I would like.”
Read the full memo below:
- Technology Modernization. We’re reshaping our Technology team to sharpen alignment with the business, build leaner teams, and accelerate what matters most. This means consolidating our technology footprint, streamlining our structure to move with greater speed and focus, and doubling down on the locations where our work gets done with a focus on two strategically important hubs — Philip H. Knight Campus and our Nike India Technology Center. These are deliberate moves to build a leaner, faster, more connected Technology organization — one built to deliver for the consumer, the athlete, and the business.
- Air Manufacturing Modernization. We are modernizing how work gets done across our Air Manufacturing Innovation (Air MI) facilities in Beaverton, Ore.; St. Louis; and Vietnam by increasing resiliency, streamlining processes, and adjusting staffing to match the needs of the business. The changes will help us stay flexible as demand changes, accelerate future innovations and continue to deliver the product quality athletes expect from Nike.
- Converse Ground Game. We are moving some Converse Footwear Manufacturing and Engineering resources closer to our factory partners to enable stronger real-time collaboration and to better support the brand’s needs going forward.
- Materials Supply Chain Integration. We are bringing our Materials Supply Chain work more directly into our Footwear and Apparel Supply Chain teams while continuing to build on the valuable capabilities already in place. This strengthens how we operate from raw materials through finished product, enabling faster more synchronized decisions and ground-breaking innovations across our best-in-class manufacturing network.
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