Allbirds Rebrands as Smartbird, Pivots to AI Infrastructure Under New CEO

The company formerly known as Allbirds has officially rebranded as Smartbird, transitioning from a footwear seller to an AI infrastructure provider. This strategic pivot includes the completion of the sale of its Allbirds brand and footwear assets, a change in its legal name to Smartbird, and the appointment of Nadia Carlsten as its new President and CEO.

Nadia Carlsten, who previously served as CEO of the Danish Centre for AI Innovation and managed product portfolios at SandboxAQ, brings a background in quantum computing, having launched the quantum computing service at Amazon Web Services. She replaces Joe Vernachio, who has resigned from the company and its board of directors. Carlsten's stated plan is to build custom, single-tenant AI infrastructure tailored for mid-market enterprises.

Allbirds launched in 2015, quickly gaining popularity as a consumer brand, particularly within Silicon Valley, and went public in 2021 with a market value approaching $4 billion. However, its market value had fallen below $20 million by early 2025. In April 2026, the company announced its intent to pivot, aiming to compete with companies like Amazon, CoreWeave, and Crusoe in the AI infrastructure space.

The announcement of the pivot initially led to an 800% surge in the company's stock, though it has since relinquished much of those gains. Carlsten emphasized that the new Smartbird operates much like a startup, focusing on hiring a new team and developing a new business model, while benefiting from the advantages of being a public company, such as access to capital.

According to Business Insider, Carlsten stated in an interview that in a few months, people "won't even remember the shoes." She also noted the precedent for companies changing their core business in Silicon Valley, citing examples like Slack and Twitter.