AI-Powered License Plate Camera Maker Flock Safety Plans 18% Layoffs

Flock Safety, a U.S. supplier of AI-powered license plate recognition cameras, plans to lay off 18 percent of its workforce, affecting about 270 employees, according to Reuters. The cuts are expected to take effect at the end of October. The company currently has about 1,500 employees.

The company had previously launched a voluntary employee buyout program with generous severance packages. In September 2026, WIRED reported that the program was introduced amid growing discontent among staff and rising public opposition. It remains unclear how many of the upcoming layoffs are voluntary.

Flock Safety is known for selling AI-powered license plate readers to police departments and local governments. The cameras have proliferated across the United States but also drawn controversy. The company has been banned from Florida highways, lost state funding in Texas, and saw the Los Angeles Police Department decline to renew its contract. Several politicians and commentators have publicly criticized the product, and social media has featured viral videos of people dismantling or stealing Flock cameras.

Whether the layoffs are directly linked to the public backlash has not been confirmed.