Bird denies getting $10 million COVID-19 loan
The electric scooter company says it was "erroneously listed" in the government's data.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Bird says it didn't go through with its COVID-19 government loan application.
Bird has denied it received a loan from the US government to help it through COVID-19. Its statements follow reports Monday that the electric scooter company received between $5 million and $10 million under the government's Paycheck Protection Program in April. Both CNBC and The Verge found Bird in the data released Monday by the Trump administration as part of its coronavirus economic stimulus package under the CARES Act, but Bird says it didn't go through with its loan application.
"Bird decided not to move forward with PPP b/c we felt like the money was more needed by small local businesses," Travis VanderZanden, founder of Bird, tweeted. "[We] didn't receive any loan money."
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According to VanderZanden, Bird had begun an application with Citi "early on," but decided not to go through with it on April 23. "It looks like Citi started an application while they waited for our decision on whether to formally apply...They confirmed that the temp app. was cancelled that evening and never submitted."
Bird said it was "erroneously listed" in the government's data released Monday, and is investigating why it was included in the list.
“Bird was erroneously listed as a company that filed for a PPP Loan. We did not apply for nor did we receive a PPP Loan. We decided as a company not to file an application as we did not want to divert critical funding from small and local businesses." - Bird
— Bird (@BirdRide) July 6, 2020