Kick CEO admits Adin Ross is a “brand risk” to streaming platform after controversy

Kick’s CEO has admitted that streamer Adin Ross is a “brand risk” to the streaming platform, due to his past controversies.

Some of Twitch’s top creators have signed massive streaming deals with Kick since its rise in early 2023. Among them is Adin Ross, who signed the “biggest streaming deal of any creator” (according to himself) after being permanently banned from Twitch.

Now considered to be the ‘poster boy’ of the Stake-backed platform, it’s fair to say Adin has been at the center of several controversies over the past couple of months.

The Kick star has come under fire from the streaming community, notably for sharing sexual content with his viewers, asking fans to perform dangerous acts for money, going on a “transphobic rant” — and more recently, urging Twitch streamer Hasan to take his own life.

With all this in mind, Kick’s CEO has admitted in an interview that Adin Ross is a “brand risk” to the platform.

Kick CEO admits Adin Ross is a “brand risk”

In an interview with Jake Lucky, Kick CEO Eddie Craven was asked if he believes Adin is a risk to the platform. “We’ve got a hell of a lot of respect for Adin,” said the CEO. “He’s been a great partner to us, he’s really helped us grow. You know, of course, a lot of people have views on some streamers, they have views on what they do, it is something which we understand and we really respect.

“We don’t want to be on the wrong side of incorrect policy. There have been times, Adin is a friend of mine, I speak to Adin personally, I look after Adin personally, I’ve had to give Adin a call and say ‘hey man what’s going on here?’ And you know I think this is a really big part about moderation, how we can do this better. I think a lot of time there’s an element of communication between the platform and the creators to try to bridge the gap of where you may not be seeing eye to eye.”

Ed continued: “We’ve had some really productive chats with Adin where there have been elements of controversy. We like to think we’ve definitely made progress. In terms of risk to the brand? I’d be lying if I said no, right?

“There’s been a lot of people that have subsequently talked down on Kick because of the fact that some streamers use the service.”

(Timestamp at 22:57)

The CEO further explained that the platform wants to avoid pushing, or heavily promoting content that may be deemed inappropriate, adding that there’s a risk of having anybody streaming on the platform in its current state.

Regardless, Kick is anticipating massive growth over the next couple of weeks, taking the time to upgrade its services as more top streamers are expected to join the platform.