Points 1 and 2 are answered in this article [1] from a couple weeks ago. To summarize: 1. Scooters are indeed stolen. The batteries can be sold for around $50.

Points 1 and 2 are answered in this article [1] from a couple weeks ago. To summarize: 1. Scooters are indeed stolen. The batteries can be sold for around $50. "The Bird will chirp at you if you try to steal it, but they chirp so often that no one pays attention 2. From the charger's POV, they do it on the side: "in the end it pays for a fancy dinner" and "It’s like a game and I would do it even if the prices were halved, which they probably will be". From the company's point of view, would it really be a surprise if they were losing money? [1] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/05/charging-electric-scooters-is-a-cutthroat-business/560747/ https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/05/charg...