Looking Back on Nike’s Evolution from Startup to Global Enterprise

HBR On Leadership

Every company has an origin story, which goes on to inform its culture. Phil Knight, co-founder, former CEO, and Chairman Emeritus of Nike, recounts starting the sports apparel and equipment giant after taking an entrepreneurship class at Stanford and teaming up with his former track coach, Bill Bowerman. Together, they changed how running shoes are designed and made. In this conversation from 2017, Knight reflects on the company’s enduring culture of innovation, as well as the company’s succession process for the CEO role.

Key episode topics include: leadership and managing people, entrepreneurs and founders, innovation, organizational culture, corporate strategy, succession planning

● Listen to the original HBR IdeaCast episode: Nike’s Co-founder on Innovation, Culture, and Succession
● Find more episodes of HBR IdeaCast

2026-03-11 19 min

Audio File Episode Page Apple

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