Inspired by Uber and Lyft — and even hiring some of the rideshares’ executives — a handful of companies are scattering electric scooter across cities first, then waiting for the law to deal with them.

It’s an idea promoted by former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick called “principled confrontation.” Euwyn Poon, cofounder of electric scooter company Spin, refers to it as “innovating on the regulatory side.”Inspired by Uber and