Better things in a better way
Forget the tech-bro fad or the presidents and celebrities who sported them. Forget the snarky critics who called it a house of cards and ripped the shoes to shreds.
People from all walks walked all over the world in them in comfort and eye-catching style. "Where'd you get those shoes?" Strangers had to know. They made my feet happy. Still do.
The flock that was Allbirds let out a collective sigh last month at the announcement the business was being sold for $39 million (having peaked at over $4 billion post-IPO). Posts and texts flew. Wistful. Proud to have been part of it all. Me too. Almost like your favorite series ending. Most fun I've ever had at work.
I joined the original eight to help out in HR right on the heels of the Wool Runner launch ten years ago. Grew to just 20 when I left the nest the following year. Remarkable what that small team pulled off.
Tim and Joey built something truly rare. Such energy. Joy. Goodness. Oozed the values of Comfort + Simplicity + Sustainability: Making Better Things in a Better Way. Right down to the brilliant, adorable animated doodles that brought the brand to life.
The Lounger, Smallbirds, the Tree Collection including the Topper and beyond cute Skipper piled on smiles and nods. The fandom grew and grew.
Then…
Performance shoes. Underwear. Tees & sweaters. Leggings. Even a puffer jacket. Stores everywhere.
Felt different.
I've wondered. What if Allbirds had stuck to their original knitting? Kept it simple?
A visible touch of the hand
My time at Heath Ceramics was coming to a close just as Allbirds flew into my life.
After a career in bio- and clean-tech, heading up HR at Heath felt like coming home — my bridal registry dinnerware in 1980. Adorned my grandma's shelves. Made by human hands. Simple and Bauhaus-sophisticated all at once. Timeless in the way only honest things are.
Founded by Edith Heath in 1948, two young designers with no experience took it over in 2003 — rescued it, really. It was nearly dead. They kept it in Sausalito. Preserved the original glazes, original forms, original ethos.
Carefully crafted new shapes and glazes. Added home goods. A tile manufactory, showroom, and the Clay Studio in SF. Opened less than a handful of well-placed retail stores. Slowly. With reverence. Scared of too much growth — personal toll. Degradation.
Cathy and Robin nurtured it from $500k in sales in 2003 to $30+ million today. No unicorn. No 100x venture returns. No hurry. No drift. Even enabled employee ownership along the way.
Gave it another life and then some. Could be around for another 100 years. Just by staying Heath.
(As it happens, Heath pieces were part of the display at Allbirds' very first San Francisco pop-up. Two of my favorite things. Side by side.)
Occam's Razor?
It was a Jungian dream analysis a la Claude.ai that put Occam's Razor on my radar. After mining the deep recesses of my subconscious for the meaning of a vivid dream, the simplest explanation made the most sense.
Claude invoked Occam's Razor. Occam's Razor? Never heard of it.
14th-century English friar and philosopher William of Ockham didn't invent the idea. Aristotle had a version of it. But he took the Latin principle — entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem — "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity" — to such an extreme in theological and philosophical debates that it got his name. (Shortened to Occam's Razor over time.)
Hmmm. Put words to my Heath and Allbirds experience.
It's not a law. It's a thinking tool. A bias toward simplicity over complexity when complexity isn't earning its keep. "Razor" is the metaphor for shaving away unnecessary complexity.
A handy blade to have around.
PS: After this was written Allbirds announced that shareholders will be asked in May to approve not only the sale of its shoe business, but a pivot into providing AI infrastructure — $50 million in financing committed to fund it — changing its name to NewBird AI. No knitting involved. Commitment to the environment gone. No B Corp. No better things in a better way. Stock jumped.
Sunday Morning: 184