Flock Safety, the AI-powered license plate reader company, is reportedly planning major layoffs affecting 18 percent of its workforce, approximately 270 employees. The cuts will take effect at the end of October. The decision follows months of intense bipartisan backlash and public outrage over the company's surveillance practices.
Despite appeals to law-and-order politics, Flock has faced bans in Florida and funding cuts in Texas. Prominent figures across the political spectrum, including Governor Ron DeSantis and Los Angeles Police Department, have criticized the technology. The backlash has been vocal on social media, with commentators from Hasan Piker to Tucker Carlson decrying the cameras as tools of surveillance.
This follows a WIRED report three weeks prior detailing an employee buyout program driven by internal discontent. With roughly 1,500 total employees, the layoffs signal a significant contraction for the controversial firm as it navigates mounting opposition from both citizens and law enforcement agencies.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing