Why did Segway fail as a consumer product?

A $5,000 price point, bans from sidewalks and pedestrian areas in most cities, and the lack of a compelling use case over walking/cycling doomed mass adoption.

Is Segway completely dead?

The original Segway PT consumer product ceased production in 2020, though the brand lived on in other scooter products before the parent company was acquired by Ninebot.

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// HALL OF FLAME · STARTUP AUTOPSY

Founded	1999
Closed	2020
Country	USA
Sector	Hardware
Total raised	90
Collapse type	Silent Shutdown
Founder	Dean Kamen

Segway PT (Consumer Division)

"The gadget that was going to change cities — but only moved airport security guards."

$90M

RAISED

—

EMPLOYEES

252

MONTHS

marketfitSilent Shutdown

Quiet closure with no public announcement

// Fatal mistake: Launched with world-changing hype that the actual product could never justify

Key Events Timeline

1999-01

FOUNDING

Segway PT (Consumer Division) founded by Dean Kamen with the vision of revolutionizing personal transportation.

2001-12

PRODUCT LAUNCH

Segway PT officially launched to consumers at $5,000 per unit with Steve Jobs predicting it would be bigger than the PC.

2002-06

REGULATORY ACTION

Multiple U.S. cities and municipalities ban Segway PT from sidewalks due to safety concerns and lack of clear regulatory classification.

2003-12

DOWN ROUND

Sales projections of 10,000 units per week prove wildly optimistic; actual sales plateau at a fraction of forecasts.

2010-06

PIVOT

Segway shifts focus from consumer market to commercial and tourism niches after a decade of minimal mass-market adoption.

2015-03

ACQUISITION ATTEMPT

Segway sold to Ninebot, a Chinese company, signaling the end of independent consumer operations and shift to Chinese ownership.

2020-06

SHUTDOWN

Silent Shutdown: Segway PT (Consumer Division) ceases operations with only 140,000 units sold over 21 years.

🔥 Hall of Flame 72%🏆 Hall of Fame 88%

Few product launches in history generated as much pre-release hype as the Segway.

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More Hardware →More from USA →More marketfit failures →Raised: 90

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// THE HARDWARE GRAVEYARD DOESN'T END HERE

Segway PT (Consumer Division) followed a documented pattern. Identify the same signals in any company before they reach the point of no return.

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