Nike’s Complacency
Nike has become a show-me story.
For those with an interest in business and branding, Nike is one of the more intriguing stories to follow in 2024. It’s an iconic brand with decades of experience left reeling by a marketplace penalizing complacency. Two weeks ago, Nike experienced its worst day on Wall Street with shares falling 20% and now trading at the same level as they were in 2018. Looking under the hood, Nike has become a show-me story as management continues to pledge to rethink most parts of the business. The company has no choice but to embrace technology as its future path places it in line with Big Tech’s inevitable march.
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The Big Tech Rotation of 2024
Things are getting strange. On social media, a feeling of angst has taken over the tech space. Apple and Tesla are said to be on the ropes while calls for Google replacing its CEO are on the rise. Other companies, including Meta and Microsoft, are riding PR highs. AI mania continues to add chaos to the mix. Oh, and Bitcoin is back at all-time highs. The signs support the theory that we are seeing a Big Tech rotation unfolding on Wall Street with carryover effects spilling over into Silicon Valley.
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Disney’s Problem
These past two weeks have been a whirlwind for Disney. Last week’s Apple Vision Pro launch saw Disney as one of the largest third-party video streamers to embrace Apple’s new computing platform. On Tuesday, news broke of Disney forming a surprising partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery and FOX for an all-new sports app. On Wednesday, Disney announced it would buy a stake in Epic Games as part of a larger agreement that will see the gaming company leverage Disney IP into a new Fortnite-like Disney universe. Despite these moves, some of which are likely being done to quiet down activist shareholders, it’s hard to shake the feeling that Disney’s actual problem is being minimized, or worse, ignored, by management.
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Humane’s Unimaginative Pin
After what seemed like a never-ending stream of teases and leaks, Humane finally revealed its hyped product: Ai Pin. It’s a wearable camera worn on clothing that is meant to move people beyond smartphones. While the company has received some accolades for simply getting to the point of announcing a new product – something that strikes me as being an awfully low bar to get over – there has been no shortage of skepticism and doubt. The actual 10-minute reveal video was one of the worst I’ve seen in consumer tech. I can only imagine the video and delivery, which is completely void of excitement or joy, is exactly what Humane’s co-founders envisioned. Dissenting opinions, if there were even any, must have been shunned. For me, the bigger issue at play with Humane is the company’s overall lack of imagination.
Humane was able to do something that up to now seemed very difficult: make the iPhone unveiling in 2007 look like something from the future.
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