VW Oversight Board Criticizes CEO Remark Evoking Nazi Slogan

  • Board says it acknowledged CEO Diess’s immediate apology
  • Diess’s comment was made in internal meeting at carmaker
Herbert DiessPhotographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Volkswagen AG’s supervisory board criticized a remark made by Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess that appeared to play on the slogan on the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp: “Work sets you free.”

The CEO apologized in a LinkedIn post for saying “Ebit macht frei” during an internal company event this week, in a reference to the abbreviation for earnings before interest and taxes, and evoking the Nazi slogan “Arbeit macht frei.”