As public anger grows over automated surveillance systems and privacy concerns, employees at Flock Safety are considering whether to leave the company amid mounting criticism. With internal morale under pressure, the company has begun offering voluntary severance packages, giving workers the option to leave with financial and healthcare benefits.
Flock is offering employees severance, subsidised healthcare and additional time to exercise vested stock options. The company has faced growing backlash in 2026 over concerns about surveillance, alleged police misuse of its technology, security issues and increased political scrutiny.
Flock Staff Consider Mass Resignations
Staff have until 2 October to apply for Flock's voluntary severance programme, with employees expected to learn whether their applications have been accepted on 9 October. Most accepted employees are expected to leave by 29 October, although some may be asked to remain for another one to three months. Some employees have reportedly received offers worth tens of thousands of dollars, WIRED reported.
Flock Chief Executive Garrett Langley has acknowledged that employees are aware of the negative social media reaction to the company. Speaking on the All-In Podcast last month, he said the 'biggest damage' caused by the backlash was to 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.
Surveillance Scandals Fuel Public Anger
Among the controversies surrounding Flock are reports of unauthorised searches by law enforcement, including an investigation in Georgia involving a police officer who used Flock technology to track a former romantic partner. WIRED reported that the officer's department was also part of a wider network through which Flock camera data was accessible to thousands of other organisations.
In Texas, a deputy used Flock's automatic licence plate recognition (ALPR) network to search for a woman suspected of having a self-managed abortion. According to documents reported by 404 Media and cited by Cybernews, the search included the phrase 'had an abortion, search for female'. The sheriff's office said the search was conducted as part of a welfare check for a missing person.
Cybernews also reported that some officers have used Flock's search system to look for vehicles based on information such as time, location or driving patterns rather than starting with a licence plate number.
Flock's cameras have also been targeted by people opposed to the technology. WIRED reported that individuals have removed or tampered with cameras, while some people have been arrested over alleged attempts to sabotage Flock equipment.
During August, dozens of local governments ended or did not renew contracts with Flock, according to WIRED. An advocacy group cited by the publication identified 93 city and county governments that cut ties with the company during the month.
Reddit Users Urge Flock Workers to Quit
Against this backdrop, Reddit commenters have also been discussing the company's employee buyout programme.
One commenter urged Flock workers to leave, writing: 'Quit. Absolutely quit! Find other jobs and be part of something great.' The commenter also accused Flock of caring about 'money and power'.
Another Reddit user compared the controversy surrounding surveillance technology with themes from George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, questioning why anyone would want to work for Flock.
A third commenter placed the issue in the wider debate over state surveillance, describing Flock as 'but a small battle in a larger series' and warning that people could 'quickly become disillusioned and totally complacent'.
These comments represent the views of individual Reddit users and do not establish the views of Flock employees as a whole.
The number of employees who ultimately accept the voluntary severance programme will become clearer after Flock announces which applications have been accepted on 9 October.
