# Allbirds Rebrands as Smartbird, Becomes AI Infrastructure Provider > Source: > Published: 2026-06-17 10:54:22.002485+00:00 # Allbirds Rebrands as Smartbird, Becomes AI Infrastructure Provider Business Insider reports that the company formerly known as Allbirds has sold off its footwear business, shed most of its workforce, and rebranded as Smartbird. According to Business Insider, the change follows a sharp decline in market value from nearly **$4 billion** at the 2021 IPO to below **$20 million** by early 2025. Business Insider reports that the company announced in April that it would no longer sell shoes and instead become an AI infrastructure provider, competing with firms such as Amazon, CoreWeave, and Crusoe. The article includes a direct quote from new CEO Nadia Carlsten: "I'm more of a high heels person myself," she told Business Insider. The report frames the transformation as an audacious corporate pivot during the AI boom. ### What happened Business Insider reports that the company formerly known as **Allbirds** has sold off its footwear business and shed most of its workforce, and is now operating under the name **Smartbird** per Business Insider's June 2026 coverage. According to Business Insider, the company announced in April 2026 that it would no longer sell shoes and instead become an AI infrastructure provider. Business Insider reports the company had been valued at nearly **$4 billion** after its 2021 public offering and that its market value had fallen to below **$20 million** by early 2025. Business Insider also reports that the company intends to compete with established providers including **Amazon**, **CoreWeave**, and **Crusoe**. The article contains a direct quote from the new CEO, **Nadia Carlsten**: "I'm more of a high heels person myself," Business Insider cites her saying. Note: Allbirds' April 2026 press release and other media including Fox Business referred to the rebranded entity as **NewBird AI**, while Business Insider uses "Smartbirds." The frozen canonical title uses "Smartbird." The discrepancy may reflect a name change between April and June 2026; practitioners should verify the current operating name before referencing. ### Editorial analysis - technical context Companies that shift from consumer product businesses into AI infrastructure face steep technical and operational hurdles, including data-center management, GPU procurement, and systems engineering for high-throughput workloads. Industry-pattern observations: legacy consumer brands rarely possess the scale ops teams or specialized networking and power-infrastructure expertise that providers such as Amazon and CoreWeave have developed over years. ### Context and significance Business Insider frames the change as one of the more dramatic corporate pivots of the AI boom, given the brand recognition Allbirds once had. For practitioners, the story is notable less for an immediate technical contribution and more as an illustration of how public companies are seeking new value in AI markets. Observed patterns in similar transitions: firms moving from consumer goods into infrastructure often need to secure capital and talent quickly to be credibly competitive with incumbents. ### What to watch For observers: watch for filings, press releases, or product announcements that clarify the company's technical offering, the types of compute (GPUs/TPUs) they will deploy, partner deals for data-center capacity, and any disclosed customers or benchmarks. Business Insider did not publish detailed product specs or a full rationale from the company beyond the reported interview with the CEO. ## Scoring Rationale A former consumer shoe brand pivoting to AI infrastructure is a notable curiosity but delivers no new technical artifacts, models, or benchmarks for practitioners. Relevance to AI/DS/ML is tangential -- the story is more business-entertainment than a practitioner-actionable development. Practice interview problems based on real data 1,500+ SQL & Python problems across 15 industry datasets — the exact type of data you work with. [Try 250 free problems](/problems)