Nobull Courts Ex-Nike Employees and Throws Shade at the Swoosh

In the wake of Nike’s much-buzzed-about layoffs, Nobull is going after the pool of available talent.

The performance training company took to X this week to invite recently laid off Nike employees to apply for its open roles. Nike‘s two rounds of layoffs at its Beaverton, Ore. headquarters concluded in June and impacted hundreds of employees across several functions. Many of the cuts were concentrated in top leadership roles.

“Dear Ex-Nike Employees,” the performance training company wrote in a post referencing an article about recent layoffs at the Swoosh. “We are so sorry about your recent news. At Nobull, we believe adversity builds character: when you get knocked down, you get back up; when one door closes, another one opens – and our doors at Nobull are always open.”

The brand also threw shade at Nike, which has recently been criticized for an innovation lag and increased competition from other brands in crucial categories like running.

“Congrats on a historic and epic run for both you and Nike,” Nobull continued. “But even great athletes like Tom Brady and iconic brands like Nike eventually retire!”

Nike initially announced the layoffs amid a general plan to “streamline” the organization and save up to $2 billion in costs over the next three years.

Donahoe said in a call with analysts last month that fiscal year 2025 will be “a transition year” for the company after it cut its outlook for the year. In light of its current challenges — which include declines in lifestyle sales, foreign exchange headwinds and macroeconomic uncertainty — Nike now expects revenues for fiscal year 2025 to be down in the mid single digits, with revenues for the first half of the year down in the high single digits. In the first quarter, sales are expected to be down 10 percent, reflecting muted wholesale order books, a softer outlook in China, as well as other factors.

Nobull hasn’t been immune from business challenges either. The company underwent layoffs in May 2023 amid a “challenging economic climate,” the brand said at the time.