Activists pretended to be DJ Marshmello and an Adidas executive at the Web Summit and no one noticed
Dupla aims to criticize the brand’s behavior regarding labor exploitation.
“Yes men” disguised themselves as Aristide Veldhall, A Adidas CEO, DJ Marshmello, took the stage at the Web Summit in Lisbon Announcing a new “virtual oasis,” adiVerse, and criticizing the brand’s labor exploitation practices. During the intervention, no one noticed that it was all a hoax, which the activist duo clarified 24 hours later.
This Wednesday, an “Adidas executive” named Aristide Feldholt (actually, the Yes Men’s Andy Bichlbaum) announced to a large audience of attendees-only Web Summit that the brand would reward tens of thousands of low-wage workers, many of whom With unpaid wages and huge compensation, leaving them to play in a very strange virtual reality world called the “adiVerse,” as stated in a memo issued by the Yes Men.
After Andy Bichlbaum interjected, DJ Marshmello, who was none other than Mike Bonanno, took the stage.
According to activists, the organizers of the tech event thought they had invited Adidas and DJ Marshmello to speak. They also assert that the Lisbon Breakers, the group that performed the choreography on stage, did not realize they had been hired by “scammers.”
After the show, more than a thousand people who were watching applauded the duo, and there were even those who asked the artist for an autograph.
DJ Marshmello later confirmed on social media that he was not in attendance at the Web Summit.
“The name of the person being sought and interviewed at Web Summit was not me. I apologize to anyone who was scammed by this scammer. My legal team has already been in touch,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Yes Men are activists whose main focus is raising awareness of social problems, specifically workers’ rights.
Salman Rushdie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, politics, literature, and international affairs. He focuses on delivering clear, informative reporting that helps readers understand the people, events, and trends influencing today’s world.
