*By Carlo Versano*
Scooter start-up Spin is no stranger to competition. The latest twist ー just a week after failing to make the cut for San Francisco's sought-after pilot mobility program, the company is facing pressure in another city ー Denver.
Lyft [announced on Thursday](https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/6/17824040/lyft-electric-scooter-denver-dockless-public-transportation) it would make its first foray into the scooter market, dropping 350 scooters in the Mile High City.
But Spin's head of public policy is undeterredー Brian Kyuhoon No told Cheddar his company is "used to competition in this space." His company's already got a permit for Denver, and he expects to join Lyft there within a month.
Spin is making strides outside of San Francisco and Denver too ー the start-up made headlines last month when it abruptly said it would replace its eye-catching orange bikes with electric scooters in Washington, D.C., where it arrived as a dockless bike-share provider one year earlier.
It's also currently the only scooter provider in Florida, where it launched a pilot in Coral Gables, a city that serves as the rubric for draft legislation recently submitted to officials in Miami.
Scooter watchers believe Miami [represents a significant opportunity as an urban test case](https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/technology/article217841200.html): it's dense, has woeful public transit, and the weather is optimal for riding.
Spin's No said the company is working with Miami officials on a roll-out there.
Still, losing a bid to provide last-mile mobility in San Fran, the company's hometown, was disappointing. But No said he wasn't surprised given the "political expediencies" at play.
"We actually don't think this is detrimental at all," he said.
In fact, Spin is optimistic that the San Francisco decision, in which the SFMTA chose small operators Skip and Scoot over larger names like Bird and Lime, won't harm the company's long-term chances.
"We're starting to see the tide turn against rogue behavior and rogue launches," No said, leaving his competition unnamed.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/scooter-wars-innovation-vs-regulation).
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
