Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden said he thinks Kanye West "didn't mean what he said" when he made some offensive comments against Jews last year.
Almost a year ago, Adidas ended its collaboration with Kanye after his comments and discontinued the Yeezy shoe line. In a statement at the time, the company said it "does not tolerate anti-Semitism and any other form of hate speech. Kanye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable and dangerous; they violate the company's values ??of diversity and inclusion." , mutual respect and justice."
Gulden spoke somewhat differently recently on the "In Good Company" podcast.
"I think Kanye West is one of the most creative people in the world," he said. "It's unfortunate because I don't think he meant what he said and I don't think he's a bad person. It just came out that way."
Gulden did not provide details in the interview. He took over as CEO last January.
A spokesperson for Adidas emphasized that the company's position has not changed and that the termination of cooperation with Ye was an appropriate measure.
Under the Yeezy brand, Kanye West created sportswear and sneakers that were extremely successful for Adidas. But the sportswear giant ended the partnership last October after the rapper praised Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in an interview and made offensive comments about Jews.
Among other things, Kanye has stated that "Jews control world finance and the media" and "have invented cancel culture" (cancel culture refers to the cancellation of support for public figures or companies after they have done something that is considered unpleasant or offensive ).
