The Lonely Office cover image

The Lonely Office

From Intern to CEO — Nike's Fairytale Ending

Apr 16, 2025
32:38

We kick things off with Glassdoor’s Chris Martin, who shares insights from a recent internship analysis. Then, we shift to a story that feels more relevant than ever: is the classic “mailroom to boardroom” path still alive? Zach thinks so—until he tries to follow in the footsteps of Nike’s new CEO, who rose from intern to corner office over 32 years. But there’s a catch: the unpaid internship Zach’s eyeing already requires two years of experience. From 12:03 AM rejection emails to career portals that treat human referrals like spam, we’re asking if today’s hiring systems are just brick walls painted to look like doorways.


Hosts:


Matt Sunbulli

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunbulli/

https://www.firstdraft.vc


Aaron Calafato

Listen to Aaron's 7 Minute Stories Podcast


Leah Ova

Follow Leah on TikTok


Editorial:

Matt Sunbulli

Brooks Borden

Ken Wendt

Aaron Calafato


Senior Audio Engineer:

Ken Wendt


Research:

Zaid Safe

Matt Sunbulli

Aaron Calafato

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