Flock reportedly tries to shrink workforce with employee buyouts
Flock Safety offered voluntary buyouts to its 1,500 employees amid mounting backlash over license plate reader misuse, hoping to avoid layoffs.
According to Wired, Flock Safety unveiled what it calls its 'most generous' severance package for voluntary departures, expecting significant interest from its 1,500-person workforce. The move follows a Washington Post report identifying 46 cases of police officers accused of misusing Flock's license plate recognition technology. Florida and Texas are stopping use of the technology, and an advocacy group counted 90 cities that dropped Flock in August alone, a fourfold increase from the previous month.
- Buyouts described internally as the company's 'most generous' severance ever
- Washington Post found 46 alleged police misuse cases, including stalking
- Florida and Texas dropping Flock; 90 cities dropped it in August
- CEO Garrett Langley says the biggest damage has been to internal morale
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In Brief
Posted:
1:39 PM PDT · September 19, 2026
Embattled surveillance technology company Flock Safety unveiled a “generous” severance package for voluntary employee departures on Friday, according to a report in Wired.
Flock reportedly expects a significant portion of its 1,500-person workforce to express interest in the buyouts, and said it will grant them to a majority of those who are interested. The company’s internal announcement described these packages as the “most generous” it has ever offered.
By letting employees depart voluntarily, Flock can say goodbye to team members demoralized by the ongoing backlash over the company’s license plate recognition technology. Wired also reports that without buyouts, the company would “almost certainly” need to lay off some staff.
In August, The Washington Post identified 46 cases where police officers have been accused of misusing Flock technology, including cases where they allegedly stalked their wives, girlfriends, or exes. Florida and Texas both said they will stop using the startup’s technology, and an anti-surveillance advocacy group identified 90 cities that dropped Flock in August alone — a fourfold increase from the previous month.
TechCrunch has reached out to Flock for comment. The startup’s CEO Garrett Langley recently told the All-In podcast that the “biggest damage” caused by the backlash has been to “internal morale.”
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