Bird has filed for bankruptcy.
What an end to the year for shared micromobility, just days after the news of Superpedestrian's demise.
This (apparently) doesn't affect Bird in Canada and Europe, although the Canadian outfit is pretty small and Bird shuttered many European operations earlier this year. With Spin's recent sale to Bird by TIER Mobility, this pretty much leaves Lime as the only game in town in the US.
(For a concise summary of the financial data, see this excellent post by Prabin Joel Jones: https://lnkd.in/ea-c66XU )
Beyond the finances, there's a sad tech story here. Bird and Superpedestrian have, without a doubt, the best-engineered vehicles on the market. That was hard to see on paper (with competitors often making the same claims over features and benefits despite little evidence) but easy to see in road tests.
We haven't heard yet what will happen to SP's scooters, but they're so advanced it'll be difficult for another operator to easily assimilate them into fleets. I wonder if the same will be true for Bird's excellent B3. If neither model continues to run, it is the public (riders and non-riders) who ultimately lose out.
As I said at the beginning of 2023 in an interview, there were going to be big changes in the sector this year. I don't think we're quite finished yet with the news, but the competitive landscape heading into 2024 already looks different enough that the remaining international brands will be hopeful of enough elbow room that they'll be able to complete their respective paths to profitability and financial sustainability.
As ever, thoughts with those facing job uncertainty at this time of year. If you're hiring, please comment below.
https://lnkd.in/ePRXp9rX
Great news!