It’s nearly been two months since we started this accidental weekly column about layoffs happening within startups. Workforce reductions have impacted startup employees in every massive sector, from crypto to SaaS to edtech and mobility. And what felt at first like a trend that only impacted growth…
Superpedestrian, Voi among the latest micromobility layoffs
As layoffs tear through the startup world, the micromobility industry, which has long struggled to be profitable, is getting hit. Just a couple of weeks after Bird laid off 23% of its staff, the next round of industry layoffs is affecting Voi and Superpedestrian, according to LinkedIn posts from fo…
Superpedestrian gets $125M to expand tech that corrects unsafe scooter riding
Shared e-scooter company Superpedestrian is gearing up to deploy its Pedestrian Defense safety system at scale, a feature that allows the company’s e-scooters to detect and correct in real time unsafe riding behaviors, like riding on sidewalks or the wrong way down a one-way street. Superpede…
Bird vehicles can now accurately detect sidewalk riding and slow riders to a stop
Shared micromobility operator Bird is getting on the scooter ADAS bandwagon. After three years of research, the company has finally launched new technology that can detect when a rider is scooting on the sidewalk and slowly bring them to a stop. The new tech is currently being piloted in hundreds o…
Lime launches app-less rides and no fee reservations to get more people riding
Lime is rolling out several new features, including the ability to rent electric scooters without downloading the app, in an effort to attract more riders. The micromobility company announced Wednesday a series of product features designed to remove barriers to entry for new users, while increasin…
Superpedestrian positions itself as the go-to partner for cities with new e-scooter safety upgrades
Superpedestrian, the startup that makes e-scooters equipped with self-diagnostic software, is upgrading its product as it prepares for a major expansion into 10 new cities within the next two weeks. Superpedestrian is considered an up-and-coming player in the micromobility world because of how it h…
Superpedestrian acquires Navmatic to detect and control unsafe e-scooter rider behavior
Electric scooter operator Superpedestrian has acquired Navmatic, a startup that helps micromobility operators locate vehicles and correct their movements in real time. The companies did not reveal the details of the buy, which was finalized last month. Those close to the deal say the number is not …
TikTok says ‘Project Texas’ will bolster security for U.S. users in wake of China data access concerns
Over the weekend, TikTok wrote to Republican Senators to assure them that it’s working on a program called “Project Texas” to bolster data security for U.S.-based users. This was in response to the Senators’ letter to the company dated June 27 that questioned its data access…