These Allbirds AI jokes are as fire as the company’s stock price

Allbirds is an AI company now, and the rebranding is getting memed.Illustration by Timon Schneider/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesAllbirds is, for some reason, an AI company now.Some people on social media found that more than a little funny.The jokes did not disappoint.Once in a while, something happens in tech land that's prime meme fodder. The …

In this photo illustration, the logo of footwear company Allbirds Inc. is displayed on a smartphone in front of abstract background on computer screen.
Allbirds is an AI company now, and the rebranding is getting memed.

  • Allbirds is, for some reason, an AI company now.
  • Some people on social media found that more than a little funny.
  • The jokes did not disappoint.

Once in a while, something happens in tech land that’s prime meme fodder. The latest: A shoe company suddenly — and seemingly inexplicably — pivots to go all in on AI.

Allbirds found itself the subject of many jokes on social media on Wednesday. Investors in the long-beleaguered company, though, had something to celebrate. Its stock price shot through the roof after it rebranded itself as NewBird AI and said it would provide GPU compute-as-a-service.

Have a look at some of these top-tier comedy offerings:

#1 Goodbye to traditional investing logic

#2 Shoe Compute

#3 Corner the market

#4 Straight out of ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’

#5 Bubble vibes

#6 Cue the ‘Mad Men’ pitch

#7 If Allbirds starts a trend

#8 Reinventing the heel

#9 How far could this go?

Allbirds, founded in 2015, quickly rose to fame for its wool sneaker, becoming a Silicon Valley tech bro favorite. Former President Barack Obama was spotted wearing a pair in 2020.

It was a Wall Street darling as well. During the company’s trading debut in 2021, its valuation reached $4 billion.

But things started crashing after 2022, when the shoe lost its shine. In 2023, Allbirds posted an annual loss of $101 million, and its shares plummeted 47%.

In the years since, it launched products that flopped, laid off staff, and went through a management shake-up, none of which helped turn things around.

In March, Allbirds announced that American Exchange Group, a New York-based fashion and consumer company, would buy it for $39 million.

After Wednesday’s AI pivot, its shares rose by about 582%. They plunged as much as 64% in Thursday’s premarket, but pared their decline to trade 24% lower as of 6 a.m. ET.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ray M. Andersen

Ray M. Andersen

Ray M. Andersen is a cryptocurrency researcher and blockchain developer with hands-on experience building smart contracts and decentralized applications. His technical background allows him to break down complex blockchain mechanics into engaging, accessible content for readers of all levels. Ray’s work centers on Ethereum, scalability solutions, and the future of decentralized infrastructure. When not writing, he contributes to open-source Web3 projects and mentors aspiring blockchain developers.