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The debate over where the line should be drawn between privacy and public safety has only intensified in the AI era. And Flock Safety<\/a>, a company that has seen both an\u00a0influx of investment\u00a0and an intense public backlash, sits right at the center of that debate.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s\u00a0why at\u00a0TechCrunch Disrupt 2026<\/a>,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0bringing Flock\u2019s founder and CEO Garrett Langley\u00a0to the stage to speak about those very issues. Disrupt has always had its fair share of hard-hitting conversations, and you should expect\u00a0no less from\u00a0this session.\u00a0<\/p>\n And Langley\u2019s discussion of AI,\u00a0surveillance, and the\u00a0future of\u00a0public\u00a0safety is just one of the many compelling conversations happening at Disrupt this year, which will take place October 13-15 at\u00a0San Francisco\u2019s Moscone Center. You can dive into\u00a0the programming\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0announced so far here<\/a>, or take advantage of lower,\u00a0early ticket prices right here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Atlanta-based\u00a0Flock Safety\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0Langley\u2019s first experience within the startup space. In past roles, he worked on the car subscription service Clutch and the\u00a0platform Experience,\u00a0where\u00a0he oversaw several teams, including engineering and design prior\u00a0to its\u00a0sale to Cox Enterprises for $200 million in 2014.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Flock started in 2017,\u00a0with Langley partnering with co-founders Matt Feury\u00a0and\u00a0Paige Todd,\u00a0going through Y Combinator\u00a0before\u00a0experiencing\u00a0significant success selling its surveillance technology to businesses and law enforcement agencies.\u00a0You may associate the\u00a0company\u00a0with license place recognition, though\u00a0it has\u00a0more general surveillance use cameras\u00a0and has\u00a0been developing drone first responders\u00a0following\u00a0its\u00a0acquisition of Aerodome<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0company\u2019s\u00a0most recent\u00a0fundraise last year, a\u00a0$275 million\u00a0round,\u00a0placed\u00a0Flock\u00a0at a\u00a0$7.5 billion\u00a0valuation<\/a>,\u00a0which was a sharp increase from the prior year\u2019s\u00a0$4.8 billion\u00a0valuation. Altogether, the outfit has secured\u00a0$950 million in total funding since\u00a0inception.\u00a0<\/p>\n Flock\u2019s\u00a0business success has been paired with pushback from privacy advocates like the ACLU and members of the\u00a0general public, with some people going\u00a0so far as\u00a0destroying Flock\u2019s\u00a0surveillance cameras<\/a>\u00a0as\u00a0it\u00a0continues to offer\u00a0its\u00a0cameras and databases to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in particular. Among the\u00a0biggest\u00a0apparent\u00a0setbacks for Flock,\u00a0Amazon\u2019s Ring\u00a0recently\u00a0ended a partnership<\/a>\u00a0with the company, and\u00a0the LAPD let its deal with Flock\u00a0lapse this month<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Langley will discuss the company\u2019s approach to the increasingly interwoven nature of AI and the\u00a0surveillance\u00a0industry\u00a0in a discussion\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0certain to\u00a0prove illuminating to Flock\u2019s supporters and\u00a0its\u00a0critics.\u00a0<\/p>\n To watch the discussion in person and join the other 10,000 founders, investors, tech\u00a0enthusiasts, and innovators who will be\u00a0flocking to San Francisco\u00a0for TechCrunch Disrupt 2026\u00a0on October 13-15<\/a>\u00a0for a wide array of workshops,\u00a0speaker talks, after-parties,\u00a0and networking, snag a ticket at\u00a0the best price you\u2019ll be seeing for the rest of the year right here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\nHow Flock Safety, and Langley, got to Disrupt\u00a02026\u00a0<\/h2>\n