Adidas CEO: Kanye West didn't mean antisemitic remarks

FILE PHOTO: Adidas CEO Bjoern Gulden attends the company's annual news conference in Herzogenaurach, Germany, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Heiko Becker/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden has defended the artist formerly known as Kanye West, saying he didn't think the divisive celebrity meant the antisemitic remarks that led to his lucrative Yeezy collaboration with the German sportswear giant being axed.

Adidas ended its partnership with West, who now goes by the name Ye, in October 2022 after he sparked outrage with his erratic posts on social media, including a tweet in which he called for "death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE".