43: E-Scooters

E-scooters could be a great way to solve traffic congestion in big cities, and the companies that sell them could make a ton of money. Wait a second, they lose thousands of dollars on every scooter they make?? What's the plan here? And why do people keep throwing the scooters in the river? Find out on today's episode of Desperate Acts of Capitalism! Research by Ray Makowski Edited by Anne Henry JOIN US ON PATREON FOR EARLY EPISODE RELEASE, WEEKLY BONUS CONTENT, AND MORE: https://www.patreon.com/desperateactsofcapitalism "BIG THINGS ARE COMING" MERCH: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/53984348 HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR BELOVED MIDDLE MANAGEMENT AND BUMBLING EXECUTIVE PATRONS: Courtney Witcher, Raven Snow, Sam Johnson, Owen Traxler, Cyrus Katzenburg, Marilyn Kearney, remi-rose Evans, Kelly Carroll, Kate Volz, Emily Schmitt, Marissa Kerr, Jamie Galioto, L0ST VEGAS, Cleophidian, Gaby Nogueira, Garrett M, Robert Swenson, Alexis Maschke, Bird Schneider, Errant Harpy, Gina T, LiteralCryptid, Sam, Librarium Studios, Songmanne, Betsy, Blake V, Neen Varela, Sleep System, theo collin, Margarita Wilson, Eva, Karyn Washington, Hannah Rugenstein, Anile, Rosemary Van Dyke, Michael Hilrune, Emmi Ems, OuncingTiger, SoupTube, Kathryn Harold, nalkhan, Andy, Cori Thompson Desperate Acts of Capitalism is a comedy podcast about money, marketing, and how it all goes wrong. Join us on our magical journey through a wonderland of burning money! IG: @desperateactsofcapitalism Tumblr: https://desperate-acts-of-capitalism.tumblr.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/daoccast Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooter-sharing_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoot_Networks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_(company) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_(transportation_company) https://en.wikipedia.com/wiki/Skip_(company) https://en.wikipedia.com/wiki/Jump_(transportation_company) (see scooter section) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_(company) https://la.curbed.com/2018/7/31/17623336/bird-lime-scooter-bike-app-locations-cost-hours https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/04/06/vandals-throwing-lime-s-scooters-into-oaklands-lake-merritt/ https://www.curbed.com/2018/3/27/17168716/scooters-sidewalk-bikeshare-dockless-bikes-bird https://www.lyft.com/scooters https://www.razor.com/share https://techcrunch.com/2012/09/26/scoot-sf-launch/ https://news.law.fordham.edu/jcfl/2018/12/02/the-rise-of-the-electric-scooter-industry https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/20/17878676/electric-scooter-bird-lime-uber-lyft https://techcrunch.com/2018/12/18/skip-unveils-scooters-with-locks-and-cameras/ https://appinventiv.com/blog/escooter-trends-and-statistics/ https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/04/bird-unveils-custom-electric-scooters-and-delivery/ https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/8/18535698/bird-one-electric-scooter-ride-share-own-price https://www.dezeen.com/2019/05/24/bird-one-electric-scooter-design https://gizmodo.com/you-lost-how-much-on-scooters-1839245178 https://oversharing.substack.com/p/shared-scooters-dont-last-long https://www.ridetwowheels.com/fast-can-electric-scooters-go/#:~:text=Top%20speed%20of%20the%20majority,hit%20the%2030%20mph%20mark. https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/13/21257307/electric-scooter-bikeshare-covid-19-bird-lime-uber-subsidies