Will the Olympics Save Nike From Its Midlife Crisis?

Amid much hoopla at the Palais Brongniart--the former home of the Paris stock exchange--sports giant Nike launched an exhaustive lineup of footwear and apparel innovation ahead of the Paris Summer Olympic games. During the three-day gala event, dubbed Nike On Air, the company debuted new kits for almost every sport. Highlights included new shoes for runners, basketball players, and soccer players; optimized performance apparel for newer sports such as skateboarding and breakdancing; and Project A.I.R., a platform that leverages generative AI to design and print personalized prototypes for athletes in mere minutes. As the event's name suggests, the company has leaned into its legacy proprietary technology. Forty years ago, Nike debuted Air: a tiny pressurized airbag in the sole of the shoe that gives athletes an energy return as their foot hits the ground. Today, the technology still forms a core part of the Nike shoe.