Flock offers voluntary buyouts: without them, layoffs were near-certain
The surveillance backlash has hit Flock's own organization; the company is using voluntary buyouts instead of layoffs, and the scale depends on how many sign up.
ImportanceLocalEvidenceE3 inspectableWrite-upQuick
According to a Wired report relayed by TechCrunch on September 19, surveillance technology company Flock Safety on Friday unveiled a voluntary buyout package it called the most generous severance in its history, expecting a significant portion of its 1,500-person workforce to express interest and saying it will grant a majority of those requests. The company's internal announcement said that without buyouts, it would "almost certainly" need to lay off staff.
The backdrop: in August, The Washington Post identified 46 cases of police officers accused of misusing Flock's license plate recognition technology, Florida and Texas said they would stop using it, and an anti-surveillance group counted 90 cities dropping Flock in August alone — four times the previous month.
The size and financial impact of the buyouts were not disclosed, and Flock has not responded to a request for comment.