Adidas boss Bjørn Gulden has defended controversial rapper Kanye West over the antisemitic remarks he made which the sports giant previously labelled as “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”.
The chief executive told a Norwegian podcast: “I don’t think he meant what he said. I don’t think he’s a bad person.”
The sports group cut ties with West last October following several offensive and antisemitic comments.
“As creative people, he did some statements that were not that good,” Gulden said, adding that West was “one of the most creative people in the world, both in music and what I would call street culture.”
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Gulden, who joined in January, described the matter as “unfortunate” as it “meant we lost that business”.
The decision to ditch the Yeezy brand cost Adidas about €1.2bn in annual sales and €500m in operating profit.
The sports giant announced in May that it would sell the remaining Yeezy stock to recover some of the lost funds and would donate the proceeds to charities that fight hate speech and antisemitism.
Adidas employees accused the retailer of ignoring West’s inappropriate behaviour, claiming that he played pornography in meetings and showed intimate images of his ex-wife Kim Kardashian in job interviews.
Gulden later told The Financial Times: “Adidas’ decision [to end the partnership with Ye] was absolutely appropriate and our attitude has not changed.”
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