The CEO of Allbirds' new AI biz has a plan, but no employees

The CEO of Allbirds’ new AI biz has a plan, but no employees

When Allbirds pivoted to AI in April, it felt like a joke from Silicon Valley breaking free of the TV: The direct-to-consumer shoe purveyor whose flimsy kicks helped define what we’ll loosely call Silicon Valley style had discovered a new trend to chase. The move was right out of the meme stock playbook written by Gamestop: Take a troubled public company, latch onto the hottest fad, and reap the rewards of a rising stock price as retail investor…

The CEO of Allbirds' new AI biz has a plan, but no employees

Call it a startup with a sole founder and a very large seed round, but what's next is less clear.

Allbirds exposes a new test for the AI trade

Allbirds is not big enough to define the artificial intelligence market. That’s exactly why investors need to pay attention. The sneaker maker’s transition into Smartbird (BIRD) is more than just another strange corporate rebranding. It could be a good sign…