Travis VanderZanden’s slow-motion departure from Bird is now complete. The scooter rental company announced in a late-Friday news dump that the executive has stepped down from his role as chairperson of Bird’s board, “effective immediately.”
Replacing VanderZanden is John Bitove, who played a role in saving Bird’s bacon this past December via its merger with Bird Canada.
VanderZanden had led the micromobility company from its inception as its president and founding CEO, but that all changed last year when Bird’s declining stock price culminated in a delisting warning from the New York Stock Exchange. Soon after, VanderZanden stepped down from his role as president, handing over the title to Bird’s then-chief operating officer Shane Torchiana. Torchiana went on to assume the CEO post as well several months later. At the time, VanderZanden called the reorg a “long-planned transition.”
According to Bird, VanderZanden “decided to step down [from the board] to pursue other ventures.” In a similarly vague yet intriguing statement, VanderZanden added that he intends to return to his “entrepreneurial roots and incubate some new ideas.”
TechCrunch has reached out for more information on the founder’s departure and will update this story when we hear back.
