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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →In a December 2019 interview, Tier Mobility cofounder and CEO Lawrence Leuschner said the scooter-sharing company had expanded faster than expected—but argued that long-term success depended less on software than on the work of maintaining, repairing, charging, and coordinating its fleet. His account, published by VentureBeat on December 12, 2019, is a snapshot of Tier’s strategy at that time, not a report on the company or scooter market today.
What did Tier’s CEO mean by “surprised at the speed”?
Speaking to VentureBeat at Slush 2019 in Helsinki, Leuschner said Tier had expected to launch in ten cities during its first year. Instead, the company launched in 45 cities across 12 countries in about nine months, according to the interview. Tier had been founded in October 2018 and focused exclusively on Europe at the time.
“Sometimes I’m very surprised at the speed we are going,” Leuschner said. The rollout figures describe the company’s reported growth by December 2019; they should not be read as current operating or market data.
Why did Leuschner call scooter sharing an operations business?
Leuschner’s central argument was that deploying an app and scooters was not enough: a shared fleet required daily field work. He contrasted Tier’s approach with competitors that, he said, used gig workers to collect and charge scooters. Tier employees handled collection, charging, repair, and redistribution, supported by company warehouses and maintenance staff.
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“This is not a software game. This is an operations game powered by technology. And the company who wins this is the company who has the highest efficiency.”
That is Leuschner’s description of the business challenge, not an independently verified comparison of operator efficiency. He also said, “There’s no part of the scooter we can’t repair.” The interview presented repairability and in-house control as parts of Tier’s operating model, rather than documenting a comparative test of fleet maintenance.
How did Tier say it maintained scooters and handled batteries?
Leuschner said Tier staff maintained scooters daily and repaired them rather than treating damaged vehicles as disposable. VentureBeat reported that Tier scooters then had a lifespan of 18 to 24 months. That is a historical figure reported in the 2019 article, not a current specification or independently measured lifespan across shared scooters.
The interview also described battery swapping. Staff carried charged batteries using bikes and electric vehicles, exchanged depleted batteries on site, and avoided taking each scooter by truck to a charging station. The account explains the logistics Tier said it used; it does not establish a measured environmental advantage over other charging systems.
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“We are in the transportation system, and we have to take care of those scooters. We have to maintain them on a daily basis.”
Leuschner connected maintenance to rider safety, city responsibility, and the durability of the business. Those were his reasons for the approach, not findings from an independent safety or lifecycle assessment.
Why did Tier focus on Europe and city partnerships?
Leuschner described Europe as attractive because of city density, public transport, bike infrastructure, and policy ambitions around emissions. He said Tier wanted to work with local authorities on deployment, routes, public space, and certifications, and to integrate with public transport rather than displace it.
“Europe is the best market in the world,” Leuschner said. “Our goal is not to disrupt that, but to be part of that transportation.”
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These comments express the CEO’s strategy and view of the region in 2019. They do not establish that European cities generally had the same policies or that every city supported scooter deployment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did the interview say about Tier’s funding and scale?
VentureBeat reported that Tier had raised more than $100 million and employed 350 people at publication time. The same article attributed these funding totals to other operators: $765 million for Lime, $548 million for Bird, and $135 million for Voi. All are figures reported in the December 2019 article, not verified current totals or a like-for-like assessment of each company’s finances.
Leuschner was considering debt financing for scooter capital costs, alongside equity funding. The interview raised financing as another dimension of the business: fleets require physical assets as well as software and staff. It did not provide loan terms or establish how the funding strategies compared in performance.
What this interview does—and does not—tell readers
The interview is useful as a historical account of how Tier’s CEO explained rapid expansion: growth had to be matched by maintenance capacity, battery logistics, and coordination with cities. It does not establish Tier’s current leadership, service footprint, fleet specifications, funding, or corporate status, nor does it provide a present-day overview of scooter sharing.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallIts figures and operational claims should therefore be understood in their December 2019 context. The article offers one executive’s account, not independent evidence that Tier’s model was safer, greener, more efficient, or more durable than competitors’ approaches.
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