Bird

Bird, the shared micromobility company, conducted a round of layoffs in early October 2023, following its recent acquisition of e-scooter operator Spin. While the exact number of affected employees was not disclosed, the cuts were aimed at reducing redundancies and creating a more efficient integrated team after the merger. This move comes as Bird, which was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange the prior week, has struggled with profitability since going public in 2021. The company faced challenges from a high-cost, low-return business model and a previous growth-at-all-costs strategy, leading to significant cash burn and loss of investor confidence.

In January, amidst the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bird, an electric scooter company based in Los Angeles, laid off 406 employees, representing 30% of its workforce across all departments. The company, which had already paused services in numerous markets due to the pandemic, is part of an industry severely impacted by reduced urban mobility and economic uncertainty. This move reflects broader struggles within the scooter-sharing sector, as competitors like Lime also implemented significant layoffs during this period.