2000s Brands: Whatever Happened to Them

The iPod died in 2022. Nokia sold its phone division to Microsoft for 5.44 billion euros, then Microsoft wrote down $7.6 billion and sold the remains to HMD Global. Blockbuster is one store in Bend, Oregon. Casper was taken private at a 75 percent discount to its IPO price. Allbirds sold its asset base for $39 million in April 2026. The 2000s were a decade of disruption, and many iconic brands did not survive the transition.

The 2000s were the transition decade: from flip phones to smartphones, from physical media to streaming, from retail to e-commerce. The brands that survived either adapted or were acquired at a discount. The brands that died ignored the shift.

We tracked 2000s brands and traced what happened to each one. For more on the millennial DTC brands that followed, see our millennial brands and their current corporate parents.

The iPod: Apple (Discontinued 2022)

Apple discontinued the iPod Touch in May 2022, ending the product line after 21 years. The iPod's quiet death marked something bigger. The era of owning the files on your device ended. Subscriptions and auth tokens took over.

The iPod did not eliminate ownership. It redefined it. The iPod prepared consumers for streaming by normalizing portable, personal music libraries. The device that let you carry 1,000 songs in your pocket created the behavioral pattern that Spotify and Apple Music would later monetize through subscriptions.

Apple is publicly traded on NASDAQ under ticker AAPL. The iPod brand is dead, but Apple's revenue now comes primarily from iPhone, Services, and Wearables. The iPod's legacy lives on in the iPhone, Apple Music, and Apple Watch. The product line ended, but the company thrived.

Nokia Phones: Microsoft to HMD Global

In 2005, Nokia sold its billionth mobile phone. By 2007, Nokia controlled 49.4 percent of the global mobile phone market. Microsoft acquired Nokia's entire mobile phone division for 5.44 billion euros in 2013. Microsoft wrote down $7.6 billion, nearly what it paid for Nokia's handset division.

In 2016, Microsoft sold its feature phone assets to HMD Global, a Finnish company founded by former Nokia executives that licenses the Nokia name. Nokia's smartphone market share crashed from around 49 percent in Q2 2007 to just 3.1 percent by Q2 2013.

Nokia itself pivoted to 5G infrastructure. The company now ranks among the world's top three suppliers of 5G network equipment. The Nokia brand exists in two completely different industries: consumer phones, licensed to HMD Global, and telecommunications infrastructure, operated by Nokia Corporation. For more on the Nokia story, see our 90s brands you loved and who owns them now.

Blockbuster: Dish Network to Bankruptcy

Blockbuster had 9,094 stores worldwide in 2004. By 2014, it had effectively zero. Reed Hastings offered to sell Netflix to Blockbuster for $50 million. Blockbuster declined.

Dish Network won the bankruptcy auction and acquired Blockbuster. Between November 6, 2013, and January 12, 2014, Dish Network closed all 300 remaining corporate-owned Blockbuster stores. On June 30, 2026, Dish DBS filed for prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy. One Blockbuster store survives in Bend, Oregon, as a tourist destination.

The Blockbuster story is the defining 2000s brand cautionary tale. The company had the opportunity to buy Netflix for $50 million and declined. By the time Blockbuster recognized the threat, it was too late. The brand that defined video rental in the 2000s is now a single tourist attraction in central Oregon.

The DTC Brand Graveyard

For six years, a specific business model worked better than any consumer brand playbook in history. Undercut a legacy incumbent by 30 to 50 percent, put the product in a box, advertise on Instagram, raise another round. Casper, Warby Parker, Allbirds, Away, Glossier, Harry's, Honest Company, SmileDirectClub, Blue Apron. Each marketed as the Warby Parker of its category.

Then three things broke in rapid succession. Apple's iOS 14 tracking change in April 2021 gutted Facebook attribution. The Fed ended zero interest rate policy in 2022. And the category defensibility problem surfaced. Every brand in the graveyard invested heavily in paid acquisition and comparatively lightly in earned-media infrastructure.

The DTC brands that died treated brand-building as expense. The surviving DTC brands treated brand-building as capital. The difference is not subtle. It is the difference between a brand that lasts and a brand that burns through venture capital and disappears.

The DTC Survivors

Not every DTC brand died. Warby Parker is public and profitable, traded on NYSE under ticker WRBY. Glossier was majority-acquired by Bain Capital in 2024. Chewy clears $5 billion-plus in annual revenue. Liquid Death hit a $1.4 billion valuation in 2024. Rhode sold to e.l.f. for $1 billion in 2025.

The survivors share three characteristics nearly every dead brand lacked. Earned media was a primary growth channel from day one. Retail and omnichannel presence matured alongside DTC. Founder and brand narrative were distinguishable.

Casper was taken private by Durational Capital at a 75 percent discount to its IPO price. Allbirds sold its asset base for $39 million in April 2026. The sustainable sneaker brand that became the go-to sneaker for everyone working in tech is now pivoting to AI infrastructure. For more on the DTC ownership map, see our millennial brands and their current corporate parents.

The 2000s Brand Ownership Map

Source: Apple press releases, HMD Global company profile, Dish Network SEC filings, Warby Parker 10-K, company press releases. All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology.

The Streaming Revolution Casualties

Blockbuster was killed by Netflix. Redbox went bankrupt in 2024. DVD rental stores are functionally gone. In September 2023, Netflix DVD-by-mail ended after 25 years.

Physical media brands of the 2000s were replaced by streaming platforms. The streaming platforms are themselves owned by the same media conglomerates that own the studios. The replacement of Blockbuster by Netflix was not a victory of independent upstart over corporate giant. Netflix is now a $300 billion company. For more on who owns the streaming platforms, see our movie studio ownership.

The 2000s brands that survived were the ones that adapted to streaming, subscription, and digital-first models. The ones that died clung to physical media, retail-only distribution, or paid acquisition as a growth strategy.

What This Means for Brand Ownership

The 2000s were a decade of disruption. The brands that survived either adapted to digital (Apple, Netflix, Warby Parker) or were acquired at a discount (Casper, Allbirds). The brands that died ignored the shift (Blockbuster, Nokia, SmileDirectClub).

The DTC brands of 2017 to 2021 treated brand-building as expense. The surviving DTC brands of 2024 to 2026 treated brand-building as capital. Use WhoBrands.com to trace what happened to the brands of the 2000s. For more on the millennial brands that followed, see our millennial brands and their current corporate parents.

FAQ

What happened to the iPod? Apple discontinued the iPod Touch in May 2022, ending the product line after 21 years. The iPod's death marked the shift from file ownership to subscription streaming. Apple still thrives, with revenue now coming primarily from iPhone, Services, and Wearables. The iPod's legacy lives on in the iPhone and Apple Music.

Who owns Nokia phones now? Nokia phones are a licensed brand operated by HMD Global, a Finnish company founded by former Nokia executives. Microsoft acquired Nokia's mobile phone division for 5.44 billion euros in 2013, wrote down $7.6 billion, and sold the feature phone assets to HMD Global in 2016. Nokia itself pivoted to 5G infrastructure.

Is Blockbuster still in business? One Blockbuster store survives in Bend, Oregon, as a tourist destination. Dish Network acquired Blockbuster in bankruptcy, closed all corporate-owned stores by January 2014, and filed for prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 30, 2026. The Blockbuster brand is effectively dead.

What happened to DTC brands like Casper and Allbirds? Casper was taken private by Durational Capital at a 75 percent discount to its IPO price. Allbirds sold its asset base for $39 million in April 2026. Both brands were victims of the DTC model's breakdown: Apple's iOS 14 tracking change gutted Facebook attribution, the Fed ended zero interest rate policy, and paid acquisition costs exceeded customer lifetime value.

Explore Related Brands

• iPod - Discontinued portable music player, owned by Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL)
• Nokia - Mobile phone brand, licensed to HMD Global
• Blockbuster - Video rental brand, owned by Dish Network (Chapter 11)
• Warby Parker - Eyewear brand, publicly traded (NYSE: WRBY)
• Glossier - Beauty brand, majority-acquired by Bain Capital
• Netflix - Streaming platform, publicly traded (NYSE: NFLX)

Browse all consumer electronics brands

Also read: Millennial Brands and Their Current Corporate Parents - what happened to the DTC brands that defined millennial consumer culture.

Sources

1. Apple: iPod discontinuation press release (May 2022) -- https://www.apple.com/newsroom/ 2. IEEE Spectrum: How Nokia's Feature Phones Lost to the Smartphone Era -- https://spectrum.ieee.org/ 3. Wikipedia: Blockbuster (retailer) -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockbuster_(retailer) 4. 5W Research: The DTC Graveyard: Why Brands Built for Clicks Died -- https://www.5wpr.com/ 5. CNN: Everlane is the latest beloved Millennial brand that's selling out to stay alive -- https://www.cnn.com/ 6. Warby Parker: 10-K filing (February 2026) -- https://investors.warbyparker.com/

All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com research methodology. Last updated: September 2026.

About WhoBrands

WhoBrands.com provides accurate, comprehensive brand ownership information through extensive research of SEC filings, corporate press releases, and official company documents. Our database covers thousands of brands across dozens of industries. Learn about our methodology.