Author’s Note

In October 2016, I bid farewell to Nike with a one-on-one goodbye to cofounder Phil Knight, at which I thanked him profusely and tiptoed around the real reason I was leaving. Eighteen months later, a former colleague invited me to lunch.

The invitation came soon after the New York Times had published its bombshell front-page story headlined “At Nike, Revolt Led by Women Leads to Exodus of Male Executives.” At least six men, several of whom had been involved in the mishandling of my situation, had been removed from the company or were said to be leaving. 

Said the Times

Women were made to feel marginalized in meetings and were passed over for promotions. They were largely excluded from crucial divisions like basketball. When they ...

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