tech

Allbirds says it's ditching footwear and pivoting to become an AI company

Updated on: April 16, 2026 / 12:14 PM EDT / CBS News

Allbirds says it's ditching footwear and pivoting to become an AI company

TL;DR

  • Allbirds is selling its footwear brand to reinvent itself as an AI company, to be named "NewBird AI."
  • The company will focus on "AI compute infrastructure" and aims for a fully integrated cloud computing model.
  • A $50 million agreement with an institutional investor is in place for the transition.
  • Allbirds' stock surged approximately 600% on Wednesday following the announcement, though it later retreated.
  • The footwear assets will be sold to American Exchange Group.
  • Analysts view the move as a way to generate capital and offer investors a new opportunity, but question the company's AI expertise and market capture strategy.
  • The company frames the pivot as a response to the growing structural demand for specialized, high-performance compute in AI development.