There's so much broken at Patagonia and it's getting worse by the minute so this is just a short list. The place's been under new management for a while and they use the company's good reputation to get away with all sorts of appalling things. Hypocrisy and nepotism are just the tip of the iceberg.
The (many) new hires do indeed come from Nike and other such types of place, and they bring their friends with them. There's barely any room to move up, though it did seem possible if you sucked up big time - big time - and joined the boys' club, though if you don't wag your tail at management when they expect you to (all the time) anyway chances are you'll be shown the door for "not fitting in," a term widely used to refer to anyone who shows any of the characteristics Mr. Chouinard mentioned the ideal Patagonia employee would have.
Most of management is your typical white male type, and funny enough, a catalogue, for instance, used drawings of clothes except for the women's bikini section, which featured photos of women.
The company no longer cares about customers, you're expected to work your behind off and to top it off the pay is low.
I've lost all respect for Patagonia.