Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden defended Kanye West and said he doesn't believe the antisemitic remarks West made last fall were meant sincerely, claiming "he didn't mean what he said and I don't think he's a bad person — it just came across that way." Gulden acknowledged Adidas was right to terminate its partnership with West last year following the remarks, but called the end of the hugely profitable Yeezy collaboration "very sad" from a business perspective. While defending West, Gulden reiterated that Adidas' position on terminating the partnership remains unchanged and described ending it as "appropriate" given the antisemitic comments. West made antisemitic remarks on his social media account last October that sparked widespread backlash and led Adidas and other companies to cut ties with the rapper and designer.
