Web Summit 2023 is over, but there are still stories to tell. Around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, in pavilion 3 of the technology summit that took place in Lisbon, Aristide Feldholt, identified as an “executive” of Adidas, took to stage 8 to announce a new “virtual oasis”a diverse.
Through adiVerse, Adidas would reward tens of thousands of “underpaid” workersallowing them to play in a virtual reality world. Access to adiVerse would be through a cryptocurrency, adiCoin, generated by a small chip implanted in the workers’ bodies. brand and that would track worker productivity in real time.
“Imagine a place where workers, even the poorest, can have everything they want, where workers who don’t have a good meal a day can have fun all day and all night, where workers can educate and care for their children and where even without money, workers can still live a full and rewarding life,” said Aristide Feldholt on stage at the Web Summit, before an audience of hundreds of people, including investors, businessmen and journalists.
Instead of salary increases, the proposal presented at the technology summit would allow him to “offer something even better: a place where workers could enjoy the luxuries of a limitless dream world.”
In adiVerse, workers who cannot afford a meal every day “will be able to live beyond their dreams” and the most disadvantaged “will be able to live a full and rewarding life”, even “without real money.” “A small implanted device directly measures your work and generates a currency called adiCoin,” explained the Adidas “executive.”
The ad was accompanied by explicit descriptions of the “Nazi origins of Adidas” and the “externalization of forced labor in World War II,” child labor problems “almost resolved,” and current “labor abuses.”
A speech full of irony, which left the attendees somewhat confused, but which gained strength when the American DJ Marshmello appeared on the scene.
To celebrate the launch of this new virtual world for sportswear brand workers, the DJ “released” a new song: “All Day I Dream.” For the presentation of this new single, The Lisbon Breakers also took the stage who performed a choreography representing Adidas workers being freed from labor abuses.
“Lately I’ve been thinking: I want them to be happier, I want them to be happier,” Marshmello said, quoting “Happier,” one of the DJ’s biggest hits, to show solidarity with workers.
More than an hour later, at 12:00 p.m., at a press conference, Adidas “executive” Aristide Feldholt and DJ Marshmello joined together to give more explanations about adiVerse.
When asked if this new virtual world would be free for everyone, Aristide responds that “you can only pay in adiCoin, generated by factory workers.” “It is not about protecting workers, but about giving them the opportunity to live as human beings,” he clarified.
“adiCoin is only generated thanks to the work of Adidas workers,” he added.
“It’s proof of work,” adds Marshmello. “A worker like him produces, generates coins, mines while he works. They receive the implant that will track and monitor their work, it is a smart chip. Work is verified through video and artificial intelligence, something that ensures that only one worker can generate proof of work,” she says.
Everyone in the room believed in the existence of this new virtual world, but it was all a farce. claimed, more than 24 hours later, on Thursday, by activist duo The Yes Menknown by the pseudonyms Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno. The revelation was made by them on the group’s website.
In fact, no Adidas “executives” or DJ Marshmello were present at the Web Summit. Aristide Feldholt was Andy Bichlbaum and DJ Marshmello was Mike Bonanno.
Additionally, Aristide Feldholt’s profile photo, posted on the Web Summit application to announce the performanceIt does not correspond to the same person who was on stage with the “imposter” Marshmello.
In a note sent to journalists on the eve of performance At the Web Summit, activists from The Yes Men guarantees that event organizers believed they had invited Adidas and DJ Marshmello to speak, “when what they had was a clique well-organized group of activists who devised a satire to attack Adidas for its inaction on labor issues.
The Yes Men also claim that the group Lisbon Breakers, who performed choreography on stage, would not have realized that they had been hired by “imposters.”
DJ Marshmello already reacted to the “farce” on social media: “Whoever Web Summit hired to perform or give interviews is not me. I apologize to anyone who was fooled by that imposter. My team has already been in touch with Web Summit,” the DJ wrote on the social network
Who @cumbreweb hired to act and do interviews was not me. I’m sorry to anyone who was misled by that imposter, my legal team has been in touch. #WebSummit
– marshmello (@marshmello) November 16, 2023
Through media actions, The main goal of Yes Men is to raise awareness about important issues, such as labor rights, by posing as powerful people and spokespersons for large organizations.
In these actions, personify entities and people with the mission of telling the truth and exposing liesdefending that big business often acts inhumanely towards the public and taxpayers.
According to the activists’ website, The Yes Men say they “destroy brands, create public illusions, work with communities, disrupt events and pose as nefarious entities.”
The duo’s goal is to “support positive changes around important issues, often those that do not yet receive the attention they deserve,” such as the labor rights of Adidas workers.
This is not the first time that Adidas has been the subject of satire by The Yes Men. Once again accusing the brand of disrespecting workers’ rights and warning of labor abuses, in January this year at Berlin Fashion Week the duo announced the appointment of a former Cambodian textile worker as new co-CEO of Adidas.
TSF has already asked Web Summit and Adidas for clarification, but has so far received no response.
Source: TSF
