Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden shared his regrets at losing a lucrative partnership with Nazi enthusiast Kanye West. Gulden shared speculation that Kanye didn't mean his many comments about Jews in the way he did, and is misunderstood.
Kayne West is a noted anti-semite who openly praises Hitler.
Adidas will likely be looking for a new CEO soon.
CNN:
Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden said he doesn't think Kanye West "meant what he said" when the rapper spewed antisemitic comments last year.
In a recent podcast interview, Gulden complimented West, also known as Ye, calling him "one of the most creative people in the world." Gulden said the fact that Ye made the statements "wasn't that good" and led Adidas to break the contract and withdraw the product, referencing the end of its Yeezy line.
"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," Gulden said, who is Norwegian born with English not being his first language. "That meant we lost that business, one of the most successful collabs in the history … very sad."
