Nike CEO John Donahoe interviewed by Sara Eisen at the CNBC CEO Council Summit in Santa Barbara, California.
Randy Schropshire | CNBC
As a political battle rages between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and disney, Nike CEO John Donahoe said it’s important for companies to pick their battles but fight for the values that are integral to their brands.
During a sit-down interview at the inaugural CNBC CEO Council Summit in Santa Barbara, California, Monday night, CNBC’s Sara Eisen spoke about the DeSantis controversy and asked Donahoe if he was concerned that Nike would become a target.
“Aren’t you afraid that if Ron DeSantis becomes president, he’ll go after you like a wake-up company?” Eisen asked Donahoe about the expected Republican presidential nominee.
In response, Donahoe said companies don’t have to weigh in on every political battle, but have a loud voice when their brand’s values are under attack.
“I think Bob is doing a great job here,” Donahoe said of Disney CEO Bob Iger.
“If it’s the core of who you are and your values, then no, you stand up for your values,” he said. “If it’s commenting on a political issue that’s in someone else’s backyard, then we might have that personal feeling, but we’re not commenting on it with our brand and publicly.”
Iger did not lead Disney when in February 2022 he publicly criticized Florida Republicans’ controversial law restricting discussion of sexual orientation in the classroom, which he and other critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.”
Are tweet the bill “will endanger vulnerable, young LGBTQ people” put more pressure on then-Disney CEO Bob Chapek to break his silence on the legislation.
After Disney spoke out against the bill, DeSantis and his allies targeted the Orlando area special tax district, which left Walt Disney World essentially self-governing its operations for decades. The clash has lasted for more than a year and continues even after Iger returned as CEO in November following Chapek’s impeachment.
Donahoe pointed to three values that are integral to the Nike brand: racial and social justice, sustainability, and youth involvement in sports, especially for young girls.
When it comes to racial and social justice, Donahoe said Nike has built its brand in partnership with some of the most iconic black and brown athletes in history, such as Michael Jordan, Serena Williams and LeBron James.
“Plus, our main consumers for the Nike brand, the Jordan brand, the reverse brand, are urban black and brown communities — that’s where the sneaker culture started,” explains Donahoe. “And so we listen to our athletes and to our consumers about what they care about and they care about racial and social justice and so we see that as the core of who we are, the core of our identity … so it gives us a little more courage to speak up.”
The company has focused on youth involvement in sports as young girls are dropping out of athletics at “an alarming rate,” Donahoe said.
“Turns out one of the biggest reasons girls drop out is that they don’t have female coaches when they hit puberty,” Donahoe said. “So we’re trying to train 20,000 female coaches, mothers and other former athletes to become coaches to promote youth. So that’s less of a controversial issue, but it’s one that we care about as a value.”
On sustainability, Donahoe said as “the leader” in the industry, Nike needs to set an example for change because if it doesn’t happen, “it won’t happen.”
