As dozens of cities end contracts for its controversial license plate readers, Flock is rolling out a voluntary severance program, WIRED has learned.
Applications for Flock's voluntary severance program opened Friday, and employees have until October 2 to decide whether to leave the company. Flock expects to grant buyouts to the majority of workers who apply, according to the email. People familiar with the program but not authorized to discuss it publicly say they believe that a significant number of the startup's roughly 1,500 employees may try to depart.
Flock is making the severance offers as it continues to lose customers amid growing frustration across the US about its sprawling network of license plate readers, which have raised concerns about privacy and misuse. In the last month, WIRED has documented officers allegedly abusing Flock to track former romantic partners and colleagues , exposed how widely some agencies share access to the system , shown how little is known about the manufacturing of the devices , and revealed in new detail how much information Flock's cameras collect based on data from a dismantled Flock device .
Founded in 2017, Flock raised money at a valuation of more than $8 billion in a funding round that closed in April. The company has had many of its contracts either not extended or dropped this year, which could leave it short of revenue goals, according to two of the people. A wave of vandalism targeting its cameras has unexpectedly increased expenses. Without buyouts, Flock almost certainly would have to lay off some staff, one of the people believes.
In an internal announcement, Flock said the separation program provides "greater agency" for its workers and "treats employees with transparency, respect, and choice." It also described the package as the "most generous" ever offered by the company, roughly double its previous severance offers.
Flock did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Some Flock employees have said they have received buyout offers in the range of tens of thousands of dollars, one of the people said. The package also gives employees several months of health care coverage and the ability to exercise stock options within two years after separation, a longer period than the company typically offers resigning employees, according to the email and people familiar with the offer.
Flock employees are expected to learn whether their applications were accepted on October 9, according to the email. Most accepted employees would leave the company by October 29, though in some cases Flock may ask employees to remain for another one to three months.
People familiar with Flock's severance plan tell WIRED that 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. "When you see enough of the vandalism" targeting Flock cameras this year, one of the people says, "you know the writing is the wall" that something has to change.
Flock CEO Garrett Langley said on the All-In podcast last month that "the biggest damage" caused by the backlash against the company had been "internal morale."
"Because you go on to X or you go on to Reddit and you go, why are people so mad at us when we've been doing the same thing for nine years?" Langley said. "And why are they so mad at us for things we don't do? And we just want people to be safe."
One advocacy group identified 93 city and county governments that cut ties with Flock in August alone. Overall in 2026, roughly three times as many local governments have dropped Flock compared to the previous five years.
Flock has recently been building products that extend the company beyond its core license plate reader offering. WIRED reported last month that the company has developed AI-powered investigative software to identify drivers, find potential associates based on patterns of movement, and search across police records and other data.
A separate WIRED analysis of Flock's software found tools designed to continuously search camera feeds for people matching written descriptions. WIRED's analysis of Flock's code also found potential integrations with drones and other surveillance systems.
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Paresh Dave is a senior writer for WIRED, covering the inner workings of Big Tech companies. He writes about how apps and gadgets are built and about their impacts while giving voice to the stories of the underappreciated and disadvantaged . He was previously a reporter for Reuters and the Los Angeles Times, ... Read More Senior Writer Dhruv Mehrotra is an investigative data reporter at WIRED, where he uses technology to find, build, and analyze datasets for accountability journalism. His reporting has examined surveillance, policing, data brokers, platforms, and the government agencies and companies that use them. Before joining WIRED, he worked at Bloomberg News, the Center for ... Read More Senior Correspondent, Investigations Topics employees Labor surveillance Flock cameras Read More How an Atlanta Suburb Ended Up Sharing Flock Data With More Than 2,000 Organizations Alpharetta, Georgia, cops share data with thousands of Flock users, ranging from federal agencies to a fish and wildlife commission. The reasons why show how vast - and invasive - the network has become. Caroline Haskins Wikipedia Workers Unionize for the First Time More than 200 people in roles such as engineering, finance, and communications will now be represented by the Communications Workers of America. Paresh Dave This Is Flock's AI Search Tool for Cops WIRED rebuilt Flock's latest search tool from code the company sends to a police officer's browser. Its AI can keep watch across multiple cameras for anyone fitting a written description. Dell Cameron Meta Pushes Its New AI Agent on Employees - but Eases Off on Tokenmaxxing The company is reducing pressure on workers to use artificial intelligence tools while encouraging them to experiment with Hatch, its most advanced AI project yet. Paresh Dave Chipotle Is Working With Palantir to Track Food Safety Risks The burrito chain has enlisted Palantir for a platform that monitors pest incidents, employee illnesses, and other factors. The partnership comes after a nightmare summer for food safety across the US. Kate Taylor Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days. Dhruv Mehrotra Top Whoop Promo Codes: 20% Off This September 2026 Whether you're looking for a Whoop free trial, student discount, or military savings, our guide to Whoop promo codes will help you maximize your membership benefits. Stay on top of your fitness goals for less. Boutayna Chokrane Clearview AI Is Testing an AI Tool That Would Let Cops Unearth Your Life Online InquiryIQ, a previously unreported prototype, tested a model from xAI, maker of Grok, to surface associates, social accounts, and other information about people identified through Clearview. Dhruv Mehrotra You Know Who Really Hates AI? Insurance Claims Adjusters Of the Glassdoor reviews from claims adjusters that mentioned AI, a staggering 98 percent were negative. "AI is just a tool," one person tells WIRED. "It should never be given the keys." Kate Taylor Meta's Big Reckoning Is Here Meta is in court again over child safety, and this time it's a landmark case that could force significant changes to core features of Facebook and Instagram. Lauren Goode The Cybersecurity Apocalypse Is Coming in 'Months,' AI Giants Warn Plus: Hackers target over 100 US water systems, ICE puts in an order for robot dogs, and you'll never guess what "MrChildPorn" was arrested for. Maddy Varner Lawmakers Want States to Crack Down on Flock Cameras - or Pay the Price A new bipartisan effort in Congress to rein in automated license plate readers takes a page from the national drinking age: Comply, or risk losing federal highway funding. Paresh Dave WIRED is obsessed with what comes next. Through rigorous investigations and game-changing reporting, we tell stories that don't just reflect the moment - they help create it. When you look back in 10, 20, even 50 years, WIRED will be the publication that led the story of the present, mapped the people, products, and ideas defining it, and explained how those forces forged the future. WIRED: For Future Reference. More From WIRED
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