Podcasts · The Knowledge Project

The Obsession That Built Nike | Phil Knight

24 Feb 2026 · 38 min

Phil Knight is the founder of Nike, the brand that reshaped sports and became one of the most powerful companies in the world.

What would you do if your bank, your supplier, and your government all turned against you at the same time? Phil Knight didn’t have to imagine it. He lived on the edge of insolvency for nearly two decades.

This Outliers episode explores belief, trust, fear, and the price of growth through the story of Nike’s founding.

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Approximate Timestamps:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:07) Lessons From Phil Knight

(11:25) How It All Began

(15:56) The Waiting Game

(22:26) The Darker Times

(32:56) The End of the Customs War

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