Flock Safety Offers Employees Buyouts as Customer Backlash Mounts

Flock Opens Voluntary Severance Program

Flock Safety has launched a voluntary employee separation program, offering what the surveillance technology company described in an internal email as a "generous" severance package to workers who choose to leave. Applications opened Friday, and employees have until October 2 to decide whether to depart. The company expects to grant buyouts to the majority of workers who apply.

People familiar with the program said they believe a significant number of the startup's roughly 1,500 employees may try to leave. The package is described by the company as its most generous ever, roughly double its previous severance offers, with some employees receiving offers in the range of tens of thousands of dollars. It also includes several months of health care coverage and the ability to exercise stock options within two years after separation, a longer window than is typically offered to resigning employees.

Customer Losses and Rising Costs Put Pressure on Finances

The buyouts come as Flock continues to lose customers amid growing frustration across the United States about its network of license plate readers. The company, founded in 2017 and valued at more than $8 billion in a funding round that closed in April, has seen many of its contracts either not extended or dropped this year, which could leave it short of revenue goals. A wave of vandalism targeting its cameras has unexpectedly increased expenses. Without the buyouts, one person familiar with the situation believes Flock almost certainly would have had to lay off staff.

Employees are expected to learn whether their applications were accepted on October 9, and most accepted employees would leave by October 29, though Flock may ask some to remain for another one to three months. Some employees may take the offer amid speculation that the company, which has raised about $1.2 billion in venture capital, might resort to selling off parts or all of its business to stay afloat.

Backlash Mounts Over Surveillance Tools

An advocacy group identified 93 city and county governments that cut ties with Flock in August alone, and roughly three times as many local governments have dropped the company this year compared with the previous five years. Recent WIRED reporting documented officers allegedly abusing Flock to track former romantic partners and colleagues, exposed how widely some agencies share access to the system, and revealed new detail about how much information the cameras collect based on data from a dismantled device.

Flock has been building products beyond its core license plate readers, including AI-powered investigative software to identify drivers, find potential associates based on patterns of movement, and search across police records. A WIRED analysis of the company's code found tools designed to continuously search camera feeds for people matching written descriptions, as well as potential integrations with drones and other surveillance systems. Flock CEO Garrett Langley said the biggest damage from the backlash had been "internal morale." Flock did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Sources: Techmeme · Reuters