Live Feeds
● LIVE Updated 1h ago · 35 sources tracked

Allbirds is now Smartbird, and its new AI-focused CEO says 'people won't even remember the shoes'

Allbirds has transitioned into Smartbird Inc., a San Francisco-based AI infrastructure provider. The company sold its footwear assets and intellectual property for $39 million to American Exchange Group and WSG Brands. CEO Nadia Carlsten now leads the firm, which plans to rent out GPU compute capacity.

RSS Source map (32)

What changed

New details emerge regarding the $39 million asset sale, the $100M financing plan, and a current lack of employees.

Live updates

  1. Allbirds Rebrands as Smartbird and Exits Footwear for AI Infrastructure

    Allbirds has transitioned into Smartbird Inc., a San Francisco-based AI infrastructure provider. The company sold its footwear assets and intellectual property for $39 million to American Exchange Group and WSG Brands. CEO Nadia Carlsten now leads the firm, which plans to rent out GPU compute capacity.

    What's confirmed:

    • Allbirds rebranded as Smartbird Inc.
    • The company sold its footwear assets and intellectual property to American Exchange Group and WSG Brands for $39 million.
    • The asset sale was completed on 17 June.
    • Nadia Carlsten is the CEO of Smartbird.
    • The company's new strategy involves buying GPUs to rent AI compute capacity to customers.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • Smartbird currently has no employees.
    • The company has a $100M AI infrastructure financing plan.
    • Allbirds was close to insolvency before the pivot.
    • The company is also referred to as NewBird AI in some coverage.
    confidence 90%

  2. Allbirds completes transition to Smartbird AI services

    Allbirds has rebranded as Smartbird and fully exited the footwear industry. The company now operates as an AI infrastructure and services provider under CEO Nadia Carlsten. Shares rose following the completion of the pivot and the sale of shoe assets.

    What's confirmed:

    • Allbirds changed its name to Smartbird.
    • The company sold its footwear assets and exited the shoe market.
    • Nadia Carlsten, a former AWS executive, is the CEO.
    • Smartbird is now an AI infrastructure and services company.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • Shares soared 50% to $5.92.
    • Shares soared 39.09% to $5.48.
    confidence 90%

  3. Allbirds Rebrands as Smartbird to Pivot Toward AI Infrastructure

    Allbirds has changed its name to Smartbird and appointed former Amazon Web Services executive Nadia Carlsten as CEO. The company is shifting from footwear to cloud computing capacity and AI services. This transition follows a share price increase after the April 2025 focus shift announcement.

    What's confirmed:

    • Allbirds changed its name to Smartbird.
    • The company is pivoting from making footwear to an AI infrastructure firm.
    • Nadia Carlsten, a former Amazon Web Services executive, is the new president and CEO.
    • In April 2025, the company announced a focus on AI services and cloud computing capacity.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • People won't even remember the shoes.
    • The company has no customers or data centers yet.
    • Financing was doubled to $100 million.
    confidence 90%

  4. Smartbird drops shoe past, bets big on AI infrastructure with new CEO and $100M funding

    Allbirds has fully exited footwear under its new name Smartbird, appointed a former AWS executive as CEO, and doubled its financing to $100 million to focus on AI infrastructure. The stock surged over 50% after the announcement, though the company has no customers or data centers yet. The CEO insists the shift is permanent, predicting the brand’s shoe history will soon be forgotten. Analysts question whether the momentum will last beyond the hype cycle.

    What's confirmed:

    • Smartbird (formerly Allbirds) has fully exited footwear and rebranded as an AI infrastructure company, with no plans to return to its original business model.
    • The company named Nadia Carlsten, a former AWS executive, as its CEO to lead the AI-focused pivot.
    • Smartbird doubled its convertible financing to $100 million to support its AI infrastructure expansion.
    • The stock price surged over 50% following the rebranding and CEO announcement.
    • Smartbird currently has no customers or data centers despite its AI infrastructure ambitions.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • The CEO has predicted that 'people won’t even remember the shoes' as the brand’s past fades into obscurity under the new direction.
    confidence 95%

  5. Allbirds rebrands as Smartbird, drops shoes for AI push under new CEO

    The company formerly known as Allbirds has fully exited footwear, rebranded as Smartbird, and appointed an AI executive as CEO. Stock surged over 50% following the announcement. The new leadership insists the shift to AI infrastructure is irreversible, with the CEO predicting the past as a shoe brand will soon be forgotten. The pivot marks a dramatic departure from its original business model.

    What's confirmed:

    • Allbirds has rebranded as Smartbird and will no longer sell shoes, pivoting entirely to AI infrastructure development.
    • The company’s stock price surged over 50% following the rebranding and CEO announcement.
    • Nadia Carlsten, a former AWS executive, has been appointed as Smartbird’s CEO, bringing experience in building NVIDIA-powered supercomputers.
    • Carlsten stated that 'in a few months, people won’t even remember the shoes,' signaling the company’s commitment to its AI-focused future.
    • The pivot to AI infrastructure is framed as a mid-market target, positioning Smartbird as a provider of AI tools rather than consumer products.

    Still unconfirmed:

    • The name 'Smartbird' was initially considered 'AIbirds' before finalizing the current branding.
    confidence 97%