ADIDAS CEO – Kanye West didn’t mean antisemitic remarks, he’s not a bad person

Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden has defended the artist formerly known as Kanye West, saying he didn’t think the divisive celebrity meant the antisemitic remarks that led to his lucrative Yeezy collaboration with the German sportswear giant being axed.

Adidas ended its partnership with West, who now goes by the name Ye, in October 2022 after he sparked outrage with his erratic posts on social media, including a tweet in which he called for “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.”

Commenting on the scandal which has cost Adidas tens of millions in lost sales, Gulden told the In Good Company podcast that Ye had made some statements that weren’t “that good.”

“I don’t think he meant what he said and I don’t think he’s a bad person – it just came across that way,” the CEO said in an episode that aired on Sept. 13.

Gulden also praised Ye as “one of the most creative people in the world … both in music and what I will call street culture.”