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Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by 013a on Thursday March 14, 2019 @11:10PM (#19396106)
> The recent events are a reflection of shifting geographical needs

You know, I think what they're experiencing is, uh, Winter. This might be a foreign concept for people who live in sunny Santa Monica, so I'll explain: for about 5 months in most of the US, it gets really cold outside, kind of like your freezer. Crystalized water falls from the sky, and riding a scooter becomes both dangerous and very uncomfortable, so most people don't do it. Unlike, say, Uber, your revenue will likely take a real big hit during this time, instead of increasing.

More bad news for you, this does happen every year. Heck, in many of your largest markets, like Minneapolis and Chicago, it can last up to 8 months!

I'm available for hire if you need boots on the ground in this part of the country. First recommendation: Maybe don't keep hundreds of scooters on the streets during heavy snowfall! As far as I could tell, the total scooter capacity didn't decrease substantially over the past four months, no one was riding them, and I'm sure they took a lot of damage from the bad weather. Hunker down and wait for the sun!

Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by dpflan on Friday March 15, 2019 @07:32AM (#19398656)
Brilliant. I would like to see the simple plot of rides per day versus temperature.
Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by mayneack on Friday March 15, 2019 @12:11AM (#19396438)
It's been really cold in LA for the last month. We have weather too.

https://la.curbed.com/2019/3/1/18246745/los-angeles-cold-wea...

Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by labster on Friday March 15, 2019 @12:25AM (#19396531)
We have four seasons in L.A.: Fire, Flash Flood, Earthquake, and Awards.

Seriously, I've been noticing the cold. I haven't had to wear long pants for the whole season in over a decade. It feels so normal, going back to how it was in my childhood, but I know it's only a brief respite from climate change.

Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by Zarath on Friday March 15, 2019 @02:01AM (#19396971)
In Minneapolis, we say: Winter, and Construction.
Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by elcomet on Friday March 15, 2019 @04:28AM (#19397733)
> from climate change

You mean global warming. It describes more accurately the situation we are in.

Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by masklinn on Friday March 15, 2019 @04:27AM (#19397729)
> The average low for the month was 46.5 degrees […] The overall average temperature during the month was 54 degrees

I'm sorry what? Only if they were measuring in kelvin does that qualify as "cold" let alone "really cold".

Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by locklock on Friday March 15, 2019 @07:11AM (#19398553)
it's "really cold" if you're from southern california and "beach weather" if you're from a lot of the rest of the world
Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by taternuts on Friday March 15, 2019 @01:22PM (#19401921)
And even if you're a transplant (at least with me) that's used to cold winters, you've got 1-2 years before you normalize to the weather. First year here I really believed there was no winter in LA, but after you acclimate you realize it was all a lie!
Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by eurticket on Friday March 15, 2019 @04:05AM (#19397604)
So you're saying transport them to warmer climates for the winter... like birds.. flying south?
Re:Bird lays off up to 5% of workforce by justfor1comment on Friday March 15, 2019 @04:16PM (#19403833)
When I unlock the ability to upvote posts on hacker news, I am coming back and upvoting this comment.