Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley on the Future of Surveillance at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

When TechCrunch Disrupt rolls into San Francisco’s Moscone Center from October 13‑15, you can expect a jumble of demos, a sea of founders and, this year, a lot of conversation about watching the world. One of the louder voices is Garrett Langley, the founder‑CEO of Atlanta‑based Flock Safety.

Langley isn’t new to tech‑heavy lifting. Before Flock, he helped build a car‑subscription service called Clutch and later led engineering at a platform called Experience, which Cox Enterprises bought for $200 million back in 2014. He and co‑founders Matt Feury and Paige Todd launched Flock in 2017, graduated from Y Combinator and have spent the last few years turning license‑plate readers into a sprawling city‑wide surveillance net.

During his Disrupt session, Langley walked the crowd through the company’s biggest bets: expanding the camera fleet, adding autonomous drones that can zip to a scene and deliver real‑time intel, and even integrating data streams for first‑responders. It’s an ambitious roadmap, and the numbers behind it are eye‑popping – the firm closed a $275 million round last year, catapulting its valuation to roughly $7.5 billion, up from $4.8 billion the year before. In total, Flock has now taken in about $950 million since its inception.

But it’s not all smooth sailing. Privacy advocates, notably the ACLU, have been vocal critics, arguing that the cameras – which can be found on street corners, parking garages and even private neighborhoods – enable a level of tracking that feels uncomfortable. Some activists have even taken to smashing the devices, a stark reminder that technology can spark very human reactions.

Adding fuel to the fire, Flock recently supplied its cameras and databases to U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, a move that drew sharp headlines. On the partnership front, Amazon’s Ring cut ties with the company, and the Los Angeles Police Department let its contract lapse this month, signaling that even longtime customers are reevaluating the relationship.

Langley acknowledges the tension. “Surveillance is a tool, not a doctrine,” he said, pausing before adding, “We have to build safeguards, be transparent, and listen when communities push back.” He hinted at upcoming privacy‑by‑design features, though details were scarce.

The audience – roughly 10,000 founders, investors and tech enthusiasts – seemed split between fascination with the technology and concern over its societal impact. One attendee whispered, “It’s cool, but I don’t want a camera on my driveway that knows my license plate every night.” That sentiment summed up the mood: awe interlaced with caution.

Whether Flock’s vision of an integrated, drone‑enabled surveillance ecosystem will win broad acceptance remains to be seen. What’s clear is that the conversation at Disrupt this year won’t just be about bandwidth or AI models; it’ll be about the very eyes we choose to place on our streets.