Why does this kind of behavior need to be excused as 'out of context' or 'trolling'?
If a bigger jerk said the same thing, you wouldn't see as many people seeking to explain it away. I think people naturally prefer to give a much greater benefit of the doubt to someone they think is nice.
Also, as a new CEO in a very difficult job with high levels of 24/7 scrutiny, there's likely to be an inclination to not light the guy on fire over his first misstep or three (even if it's offensive).
It's why we can't understand that Hitler was a vegetarian or Thomas Jefferson had slaves.
In reality we're a massively complex mismash of conflicting thoughts and emotions. Just like any country.
Yet we expect a consistency from the aggregate!
Personally speaking I can believe that he's a pretty decent person (probably more than I) and that he may well for all I know be trying to do his level best for gender equality. I only disagree with the statement, not the person. But the statement is very important when it comes from the head of one of the world's largest companies.