A company that once sold wool sneakers to eco-conscious millennials is now betting its entire future on artificial intelligence infrastructure. Allbirds, the sustainable footwear brand that went public in 2021 to much fanfare, has officially rebranded to Smartbird, Inc., appointed former Amazon executive Nadia Carlsten as CEO, and sold off its consumer brand entirely.
The transformation, announced on June 17, 2026, sent shares surging over 30%. The stock still trades under its original ticker, BIRD, on the Nasdaq.
From wool shoes to AI servers
Carlsten takes over as president, CEO, and board member, replacing Joe Vernachio. Her background includes stints at Amazon Web Services and DCAI, giving her the kind of enterprise cloud credentials that Smartbird desperately needs as it tries to establish itself in the managed AI infrastructure space.
The company simultaneously announced an expansion of its convertible financing facility from $50 million to $100 million, doubling its financial runway for the AI buildout.
