Allbirds cofounder calls out Amazon for its knockoff shoes that cost way less, calling them 'algorithmically inspired'
- Allbirds cofounder Joey Zwillinger slammed Amazon for selling a look-alike shoe for a third of the price of Allbirds, calling them "algorithmically inspired."
- Amazon's version of the shoe is $60 cheaper than Allbirds' wool sneaker, which has become a mainstay of Silicon Valley athleisure.
- Zwillinger also took aim at Amazon for not having the same commitment to sustainability as Allbirds during an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour Monday.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
If you want a shoe that looks almost identical to Allbirds' wool sneaker for a third of the price, Amazon has a knock-off for you. Allbirds cofounder Joey Zwillinger doesn't approve, however.
Zwillinger took aim at Amazon for selling a cheaper Allbirds lookalike during a CNN interview Monday.
"They know a lot about consumers and they obviously saw that a lot of people were searching for Allbirds," he told CNN's Christiane Amanpour. "It feels like they almost algorithmically inspired a shoe that looks very similar so they could capitalize on that demand."
An Amazon spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Founded in 2014, Allbirds has skyrocketed in popularity, especially in tech circles. The San Francisco startup sells Merino wool sneakers for $95 and raised $17.5 million in venture funding before opening its first physical stores in 2018. Allbirds also sells a range of men's and women's shoes including lace-less "loungers" and high-top sneakers made from trees, in addition to wool accessories like socks and sleeping masks.
Zwillinger also slammed Amazon for not meeting the same sustainability standards as Allbirds in producing its nearly-identical wool running shoes.
"The thing that was frustrating ... is that we open source all the materials," Zwillinger said. "If they wanted to use the materials and copy our sustainability, they had all the right to do so. We gave that away."
Watch Zwillinger's full interview on CNN.