How Bird is trying to make its unit economics work, experimenting with its business model, developing own scooters better suited for sharing, and more
Zuckerberg Needs a Slap, Google I/O vs. Microsoft Build, Bird Rides the Strugglebus socalTECH.com : Report: Bird Facing Major Issues With Keeping Scooters Alive Tweets: Mike Dudas / @mdudas : This is terrific tech journalism. The @latimes looks at the economics and history of @BirdRide and the broader scooter industry, including detailed quotes from @msuster https://www.latimes.com/... Jeremy Gardner / @disruptepreneur : I've said it before and I'll tweet it again: The missing component of scooter startups is franchised charging stations. Apartments/stores/transit stations pay for docks, then receive revenue from charging. Increases convenience/security, lessens clutter. https://www.latimes.com/... Martin Bryant / @martinsfp : I continue to be really impressed by how Bird is developing its business, even when it risks drowning in a sea of competitors. https://twitter.com/... Alexis Ohanian Sr / @alexisohanian : I've done one turnaround in my career and don't want to have to ever do another. So much respect for the CEOs who pull it off. Expo Line Ledger / @expolineledger : “The company deleted all mention from its website of its commitment to give cities a dollar per scooter per day to maintain infrastructure and build more bike lanes.” https://www.latimes.com/... Dmitry Shevelenko / @dmitry140 : Chatted with the @latimes about micromobility valuations, the path ahead to profitability, and how @TortoiseHQ's low-speed autonomy service can make a big difference in helping operators reach the promised land. https://www.techmeme.com/... https://twitter.com/... @jason : Aren't you invested in a competitor? @latimes : A year ago, Bird Rides Inc. was flying high — and Silicon Valley was betting that it would keep on climbing. https://www.latimes.com/... Melissa Chan / @melissakchan : I feel like Bird and these scooter startups are like the pets-dot-com of our times. A $2 billion valuation? Are you kidding me? https://twitter.com/... @latimes : The problem? The entire business model. @SamAugustDean and @gaufre break down the challenges facing Bird. https://www.latimes.com/... @pinboard : A wonderful article about throwing seven hundred million dollars into the Pacific Ocean, except with extra steps. https://www.latimes.com/... Teddy Schleifer / @teddyschleifer : Very good @SamAugustDean piece https://www.latimes.com/... Ross Gerber / @gerberkawasaki : We said so from day one. These scooter companies are a nightmare and will never make money. They abused the public and thought they would just exit quickly. $715 mil burned at #Bird and it will only get worse. https://www.latimes.com/... Kimi Yoshino / @kyoshino : Can Bird build a better scooter before it runs out of cash? In January, the @latimes tracked 7,000 bird scooters. In April, only 1,500 of those same scooters remained active. https://www.latimes.com/... Alexis Ohanian Sr. / @alexisohanian : So important for startup CEOs to focus on unit economics early. A startup's cultural focus comes from Day 0 and it's very hard to adapt, especially once you've raised a lot of capital and hired a lot of people. https://www.latimes.com/... @charliearchy : Electric scooters in LA appear to have a 4-month lifespan. https://www.latimes.com/... Jon Schleuss / @gaufre : Just to break even, @BirdRide needs its scooters to stay active for 180 days. Our analysis shows their four models only last 126 days on average. About 5,500 scooters active in January were inactive by April. https://www.latimes.com/... pic.twitter.com/Czuw5DzWTw Avi Asher-Schapiro / @aaschapiro : The scooter company BIRD raised $700 million in venture over the past year. In January, it quietly erased a section of its website where it had promised to pay $1/per scooter per day to cities, to help maintain infrastructure & build more bike lanes. https://www.latimes.com/... @latrilife : $50M valuation to 2B in eight months @eddiemac3356 enjoy @markbspiegel I know you commented on these toys few months ago In January 7k active scooters in LA, today less than 1500, lol They're dangerous AF too https://www.latimes.com/... Thanks: @dmitry140