Kanye West Promoted ‘Abusive Office Culture’ During 9-Year Partnership With Adidas

Kanye West has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons over the course of the past few months. It hasn’t been pretty and he has lost a majority of his support in the corporate world, but things are getting even worse thanks to a new exposé published by Rolling Stone on Tuesday, November 22.

The lengthy report brings together more than 20 former Adidas and Yeezy staffers, all of whom suffered through Ye’s ‘abusive office culture,’ as they put it. The staffers made a series of allegations that detail the type of culture Kanye West was interested in supporting and some of the claims were disheartening. 

West and Adidas were first linked in 2006, but their partnership didn’t start until 2013. While his Yeezy shoes were a huge hit and had a massive impact on the company, it apparently came at a cost. After a series of questionable comments and actions earlier this year, Adidas officially ended that partnership. 

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The exposé is filled with allegations, most of which either deal with Kanye’s addiction to and fascination with pornography. By now, we’ve all heard about the porn video Ye used as leverage in a recent meeting with Adidas execs, but that was just the tip of the iceberg – following years of manipulation and deception.

According to the staffers, playing pornography videos was just another day at the office for Kanye West. One employee claimed he would have porn videos playing in the background on his laptop while working, which Kanye said helped him focus. He also showed hardcore pornography to a former collaborator. 

It didn’t stop there. Ye would not only show staff members some of his homemade sex tapes – including videos and photos of Kim Kardashian, his ex-wife. For example, West pulled out his phone while interviewing a candidate and showed him an intimate photo of Kim, saying “my wife just sent me this.”

As one staffer put it – “He’s not afraid to show explicit images or talk about situations that should be kept private.” It wasn’t just in person, either. He once texted another staffer, “We really need this show to be done because all I think about is Kim’s a** and this shoe.” As you can see, there’s a history of disrespect. 

Kanye West Admitted to Having a Porn Addiction in 2019

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio in 2019, Kanye West openly admitted to having a ‘full-on pornography addiction’ – which started at the age of five when he saw his first Playboy magazine. He also admitted to having a sex addiction, which started after the death of his mother in 2007.

He eventually tried to right the ship and ‘kick the habit,’ which resulted in him starting his own Sunday Service choir and becoming a born-again Christian. Unfortunately, his Adidas companions didn’t feel he was taking it seriously as the work culture remained awkward and uncomfortable during this time. 

To make matters worse, Kanye was accused of bullying several staffers – one of which was chastised for her appearance. The series of incidents and continued workplace behavior is something that will follow Kanye West everywhere he goes. He has already lost a majority of his partnerships and sponsors. 

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“He’s just obsessed with power, and he has all the power and money to make somebody cut their hair, to make somebody lose their weight. To the same person, he can go say things like, ‘You fat slut,’ and then this person will still have to be forced to stay because that’s how they make money. They have a lease to pay,” said one of the exposers.