Adidas Boss: I Don't Think Kanye West Meant What He Said

Bjørn Gulden, chief executive of Adidas, has decided to really stick his foot sneaker in his mouth with a defense of Kanye West as just some misunderstood, creative dude - rather than the vile antisemitic sicko that he has shown himself to be.

Bjørn Gulden, chief executive of Adidas, has lamented the end of the company’s lucrative partnership with Kanye West, saying, “I don’t think he meant what he said,” regarding the rapper’s antisemitic comments in October 2022.

Now, speaking on the Norwegian podcast In Good Company, Gulden elaborated on the rapper’s departure, prior to Gulden’s tenure which began in January after he left Puma.

New Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden about Ye :

"Kanye West is one of the most creative people in the world. I don't think he's a bad person, it just came across that way." pic.twitter.com/8k1JvHkyJl

— Donda Times (Hive account@dondatimes) September 19, 2023

“I think Kanye West is one of the most creative people in the world,” he said. “Both in music and what I call street culture. So he’s extremely creative and has together with Adi created a Yeezy line that was very successful. And then, as creative people, he did some statements, which wasn’t that good. And that caused Adi to break the contract and withdraw the product. Very unfortunate, because 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.

“That meant we lost that business. One of the most successful collabs in history – very sad. But again, when you work with third parties, that could happen. It’s part of the game. That can happen with an athlete, it can happen with an entertainer. It’s part of the business.”

Bjoern is an extremely smart person, so I am not sure why he would say something this incredibly dumb and offensive.

I guess Adidas must stand for All Day I Dream About Screwing-Up.