A jaw-dropping investigation from the New York Times reveals new details of the partnership between Ye (Kanye West) and Adidas.
The lucrative partnership – more than $1 billion worth of the rapper’s shoes were sold in a year – ended last year after Ye made antisemitic and other offensive, erratic comments.
But this story shows how early in their relationship Adidas knew of his propensity for these inexcusable remarks – and how those warnings of the reputational risks were ignored.
The list of offenses is far too long to recount here, but here is a smattering of lowlights from the Times investigation:
- In 2013, he drew a swastika on a shoe at the company’s German headquarters. He told a Jewish Adidas manager to “kiss a picture of Hitler every day.”
- In 2019, he reportedly demanded a $1 billion advance and then hurled shoes around a room during a meeting—yet Adidas responded by paying him more.
- Ye repeatedly forced Adidas employees, including executives, to watch pornography. The list goes on.
Through it all, the Times reporting found that Adidas ignored warnings that Ye posed a reputational risk to the organization. Even when other companies cut ties with the artist over his public remarks and outrageous behavior, Adidas held on far longer.
Brad Jakeman, a former PepsiCo executive, told the Times that companies must serve the bottom line, of course. Still, they also must protect the organization’s reputation, especially in cases where a spokesperson’s flaws were readily apparent.
“Then you’re left with: At best, the company was sloppy,” Jakeman told the Times. “At worst, it was complicit.”
West did not respond to the Times’s request for comment. Adidas said in a statement it “has no tolerance for hate speech and offensive behavior.”
