Flock reportedly offers employee buyouts as privacy backlash hits morale

Flock Safety reportedly unveiled a voluntary severance package for employees on Friday, described internally as “generous” and the “most generous” package the company has offered. According to TechCrunch, citing Wired, Flock expects a significant portion of its 1,500-person workforce to express interest and said it will grant buyouts to a majority of interested employees.

The reported buyouts would let employees leave voluntarily as the company faces continued backlash over its license plate recognition technology. TechCrunch reports that, without buyouts, Flock would “almost certainly” need to lay off some staff. For workers, the key takeaway is that voluntary exits may be a way for the company to reduce headcount while addressing morale concerns.

The scrutiny around Flock has intensified after reports of alleged misuse of its technology. TechCrunch notes that The Washington Post identified 46 cases where police officers were accused of misusing Flock technology, including allegations involving stalking wives, girlfriends, or exes. Florida and Texas have said they will stop using the startup’s technology, while an anti-surveillance advocacy group identified 90 cities that dropped Flock in August alone, a fourfold increase from the previous month.

TechCrunch says it has reached out to Flock for comment. The company’s CEO Garrett Langley recently told the All-In podcast that the “biggest damage” from the backlash has been to “internal morale.” The next signals to watch are whether Flock comments publicly, how many employees take buyouts, and whether government customers continue ending use of the company’s technology.