Nick Khan Explains What He Refuses to Tolerate in WWE Hires

WWE President Nick Khan just made one thing crystal clear—if you’re the type to set an out-of-office reply, don’t expect to land a job under him.

In a new interview with Sports Business Journal, Khan gave an inside look at his hiring mindset, and he didn’t hold back. “No. 1, in our hiring practice, never hire people who do out-of-office replies,” Khan said. “Not a fan. Message a person back, ‘Hey, I’m out of the office for the rest of the week. Do we need to talk now?’”

The executive, who helped lead WWE into its new era under Endeavor and played a massive role in the company’s merger with UFC, clearly believes responsiveness is non-negotiable. But that’s just one part of the equation. Khan also emphasized the importance of having truth-tellers in your inner circle—people who won’t sugarcoat failure.

“When you do have a vision for something and you’re going after it, if it’s not going well, you have to have people who work with you who can tell you that,” Khan said. “Sometimes as you grow in an organization and you get more towards the top, there’s a lot of people who say, ‘It’s great!’ ‘It’s great!’ But if it’s not great, you got to make sure that you have the key people in place who will tell you, ‘I don’t think this is going well.’”

Khan didn’t stop there. He spoke about the importance of resilience and being able to start fresh every single day. “We fail every day, multiple times every day, throughout the day. Don’t mistake that. The clock strikes midnight and resets for a reason. No matter how good the day was, how bad the day was, it’s over. So, the key employees are the ones who wake up the next morning with a fresh look on their face and have a fresh start.”

Bottom line—Nick Khan isn’t looking for people who unplug, make excuses, or sugarcoat failure. If you’re setting auto-replies and dodging tough conversations, you’re not making the cut. In Khan’s world, it’s all about being real, being ready, and showing up every single day like it’s a fresh shot at domination.

Do you agree with Nick Khan’s no-out-of-office rule? Or do you think expecting constant availability goes too far? Sound off in the comments and let us know your take.