Former “Bild” boss in “Biz & Beyond”
Kai Diekmann on fear, Trump and Putin’s swimming trunks
March 8, 2024, 5:00 a.m
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In almost 16 years at the helm of the “Bild” newspaper, Kai Diekmann met many people in power. In the ntv podcast “Biz & Beyond” he also emphasizes the essential role of storytelling in a time when social media is revolutionizing the way we communicate.
Vladimir Putin lent him his swimming trunks. Donald Trump received him in his crowded office. In almost 16 years at the helm of the “Bild” newspaper, Kai Diekmann has met many powerful people. In the successful ntv podcast “Biz & Beyond” he describes how he has experienced people with power, why he considers courage and passion to be important in his job and why fear is the worst advisor of all.
In the conversation, Diekmann highlights the various facets of his career – from turbulent times at “Bild” to the founding of a PR agency. In doing so, he reflects on the challenges and opportunities that journalists and media consumers have to face.
Diekmann emphasizes the essential role of storytelling in a time when social media has revolutionized the way we communicate. He encourages us to see new technologies not as a threat but as an opportunity and calls for a rethink in how Europe deals with innovations.
With passion and tenacity, Diekmann describes his path to success and shares valuable lessons about the importance of perseverance and willingness to take risks. He encourages always to remain curious and learn from mistakes and emphasizes the need to build a network based on mutual help and genuine interest.
Merkel asked Putin about his biggest mistake
During the conversation it almost sounds as if Diekmann wanted to defend Putin. No he does not. Nevertheless, at his various meetings he experienced a different Putin than the one he has today. He is always surprised to meet people who always knew “what a bloody and brutal nationalist Vladimir Putin was,” says Diekmann. “I saw the same people in 2001 when Putin traveled to Germany: a young president who then spoke to members of parliament in German in the Reichstag in Berlin. So in the capital, which was once the symbol of the Cold War, for the division of East and West.”
Back then, Putin spoke in the language of Schiller, Kant and Goethe and raved about “that Russia is a friendly, European country.” The voice is soft and quiet. “And many of the MPs who claim today that they always knew what a bad guy he was had tears in their eyes back then.”
Putin has changed in the meantime, says Diekmann: “I actually believe that Putin has undergone a development.” For 24 years in power, there have been five different US presidents at the same time. He believes that in the beginning there was actually a Vladimir Putin who was open to a partnership with the West. A mistake. “Putin may have believed that there were promises made by the West about sharing in power and sharing in prosperity, which were subsequently not fulfilled.”
Diekmann remembers when then-Chancellor Angela Merkel asked Putin about his biggest mistake. “And his answer was: That I trusted you, that I trusted you.” There must have been a break somewhere that sparked a new realization in him: “If I want to be taken seriously by the West, then I have to literally bomb myself back onto the map.” He did this gradually from 2004 onwards. Diekmann’s conclusion: “The Putin of 2001 is completely different from the Putin of 2024.”
An honest friendship with Schröder
Diekmann also talks about Gerhard Schröder and his friendship with Putin. “I believe that this friendship was honest and meant honestly.” Things are different now. “I am firmly convinced that today Gerhard Schröder knows deep down in his heart that Putin is actually just using him or has used him today.” His reasoning: If Putin had been serious about his friendship with Schröder, “then he would have had to give Gerhard Schröder something to take home with him when he visited in 2022, a few weeks after the start of the war.”
Schröder was rightly criticized for his involvement with Gazprom. “You can criticize him for a lot of what he said and possibly did wrong when dealing with Russia,” says Diekmann. “But on the one hand that doesn’t call into question his life’s work.”
“Biz & Beyond” is the business and success podcast that Germany has never had before. The transatlantic podcast team Sandra Navidi and Ulrich Reitz speaks with powerful decision-makers, international experts and extraordinary personalities. They provide insights into their business, their successes – and also personal setbacks.
Biz & Beyond – the business podcast with Sandra Navidi and Ulrich Reitz. From now on as a push message in the ntv app, on RTL+ and everywhere there are podcasts.
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