Flock Safety announced a voluntary employee separation program on Friday, offering a “generous” severance package to those who want to leave amid growing backlash against the surveillance technology company, according to an internal email shared with WIRED.

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.”

Several countries are planning to regulate smart glasses over growing concerns around nonconsensual recording and harassment.

Prosecutors in Paris have launched a criminal probe into suspected sexual harassment committed using smart glasses, Reuters reported earlier today (18 September), citing local officials.

According to the publication, at least one probe has been launched following complaints over users filming women nonconsensually using smart glasses to post to social media – a trend that has risen in popularity since the launch of Meta’s AI glasses earlier this summer.

The French prosecutors, however, did not name a company or brand in their response to Reuters’ questions about the investigation. SiliconRepublic.com has reached out for further information.

The French data protection authority CNIL further told Reuters that it had received fewer than 10 complaints regarding smart glasses being used in the workplace.

While smart glasses are not new technology, Meta’s growing portfolio has contributed to a steep rise in global sales, according to a Counterpoint report from February.

AI-equipped smart glasses accounted for 88pc of total shipments in the sector as of H2 last year, while Meta held more than 80pc of global smart glasses shipments – AI-powered and otherwise.

The social media giant sold more than 7m of its AI glasses made in partnership with the French-Italian eyewear brand Essilor last year. The two were also reportedly in discussions to double production of their glasses to at least 20m by the end of this year to meet the “unprecedented” demand for their products, mainly in the US.

The sharp growth in sales and popularity of these types of glasses comes despite huge public backlash against the technology, with people highlighting issues around covert recording and sexual harassment.

This year, in particular, has seen a rise in social media videos of men approaching unsuspecting women while wearing camera-fitted glasses, and recording them without consent to post to social media.

Some wearers have also tampered with an indicator light on the Meta devices to hide the fact that glasses were recording. Although Meta updated the glasses to address the issue, many still say it is hard to discern whether a recording indicator is active or not.

The backlash has led to a number of UK cinemas considering ​banning smart glasses, while a German consumer advocacy group filed a complaint against Meta and other companies that sell these devices in the country.

Australia, meanwhile, is considering banning camera-equipped smart glasses in the workplace, while Norway said it is also planning to regulate their use.

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As computing systems move toward denser processors, tightly coupled server nodes, and higher-power racks, managing the heat they generate has become a defining challenge in data center design. Modern AI accelerators can dissipate well over 1,000 watts, and a single rack may release more than 100 kilowatts of heat. This is far beyond what air cooling can practically remove. Single-phase direct liquid cooling addresses this by circulating water or a water-glycol coolant through coldplates mounted directly on high-heat components. The coolant absorbs the heat and carries it away in a closed loop to a coolant distribution unit. Because liquid stores far more heat than air and removes it much faster, this approach supports higher chip and rack densities within a smaller footprint. This paper explains how single-phase direct liquid cooling works, how it compares with two-phase and immersion cooling, and how rising processor power and rack density are shaping the future of thermal

There’s a lot for Mark Zuckerberg to cover at this year’s keynote.

New and updated smart glasses

‘Phoenix’ Mixed Reality headset

Meta (via UploadVR)

Avatars and the metaverse

AI and developers

The BlackBerry-like phone also got a spec bump and an impending price hike.

Availability

Clicks

Sony’s all-new show, Family Full House With Rohit Sharma, is set to go on floors this Saturday, September 19, 2026. Indian cricket star Sharma, best known for his three ODI double centuries and leading India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title, is all set for yet another debut – this time, off the field.

The date is special for Rohit himself, as it was the same date when he made his T20I debut. This time, though, fans will be seeing Rohit off the field in his quirky, outspoken “Shana” avatar. He’s well known for his cheeky stump-cam remarks, which have gone viral on multiple occasions.

Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group (UMG) are suing AI music generator Suno for allegedly infringing on their copyright with its newest v6 models, Variety reports. The claim challenges the story Suno has generally told about its latest AI models, which are the first it’s released since signing licensing deals with Warner Music Group and BMG.

While Suno used licensed material to create the v6 lineup, in their lawsuit (obtained by Music Business Worldwide), Sony Music and UMG specifically take issue with the company’s public acknowledgement that the models were also trained on “users’ ‘interactions’ with Suno’s service,” which they take to mean “the outputs of, and preference signals derived from, prior models that Suno built by copying Plaintiffs’ recordings without authorization.” Under that understanding, both companies claim Suno could be responsible for infringing on the copyright of at least 60,202 sound recordings. That leaves it liable for up to $9 billion in damages under US copyright law, plus up to $2,500 for each time Suno circumvented YouTube’s anti-downloading tech to scrape songs, according to MusicBusinessWorldwide.

Naturally, the company disagrees with Sony Music and UMG. “These claims remain fundamentally flawed on both the facts and the law,” the company said in a statement to Engadget, while reaffirming that “Suno exists so that more people can make new music.”

“Over the past two years, we have doubled down on this goal, launching v6 in partnership with WMG, BMG, and Believe,” the company continued. “v6 was trained on content licensed from our partners, interactions including creations and preference signals from our community, and the accumulated learnings from our team. We are excited for a future where AI and the music industry continue to strengthen one another and build entirely new product experiences for artists, fans and the broader music community.”

This new lawsuit builds on Sony Music, UMG and WMG’s previous suit against the company, and a July 2026 hack of Suno’s data that revealed the AI company scraped millions of songs and lyrics from platforms like YouTube Music, Deezer and Genius to train its earlier models. In the past, Suno has justified scraping music to train AI as falling under the fair use doctrine. Alongside the release of its v6 models, though, the company ended support for its older models, which at least suggests it thinks offering a product trained on licensed material is more palatable to critics. If a judge is swayed by record companies’ understanding of how Suno trained its models, that might not be enough.

The research from the Global Undergraduate Awards highlighted the concerns held by undergraduate students as they prepare to enter the workforce.

According to new research published by the Global Undergraduate Awards (GUA), during the announcement of the undergraduate winners for 2026, more than half of students who took part in the report regard AI as a significant concern. 

Data was collected from 400 globally diverse undergraduate students across more than 200 universities in nearly 100 countries, from 8-15 June.

55pc of participating undergraduate students cited AI as a concern this year, a figure which rose from 48pc in 2025, moving it from fifth to second place in global rankings of concerns. The report noted that it was the only issue in the top five to rise, even as the overall field of concerns held broadly steady.

The fears around artificial intelligence were second only to social and economic inequality and came ahead of the climate crisis, mental health and environmental issues. Much of the fear was related to concerns around job loss or destruction. 

Commenting on the results report, Jim Barry, the chair of the GUA, said: “The findings clearly show that AI is rising up the agenda as a key area of concern for undergraduates globally. 

“This is something that policymakers need to take note of. The central focus is the job market post-graduation and what sort of impact AI is going to have on career prospects for many. 

“There is a palpable concern about the prospect of jobs destruction. The fact that AI has accelerated in our research findings from fifth to second place in just one year is a tangible demonstration of how quickly it has become a significant issue for students as they look to the future.”

While the changing rankings highlight the growing prominence of AI alongside the longstanding social and environmental challenges facing the next generation, Barry is of the opinion that it is concerning to see other issues fall somewhat to the wayside. 

He explained: “While climate change remains firmly in the top three concerns, it is worrying to see it fall in the rankings as its impacts become increasingly visible and significant. It highlights the challenge of keeping climate change to the forefront as other issues compete for attention and the societal and economic changes required are increasingly weaponised politically.”

Worldwide worry

The GUA report suggests that for students, artificial intelligence is no longer a distant or theoretical concept, rather, it is ingrained in how people study, research and think about their future careers. 

The research said: “There are huge opportunities that come with it, but also a lot of uncertainty about what its rapid development will mean for this generation.”

The GUA’s research comes at a time when there is increasing worldwide concern about the impact the advancement of artificial intelligence is having – particularly in relation to how it might damage career opportunities for both new and established professionals.

SiliconRepublic.com recently spoke to Pluralsight’s Beckey Woodard Cole about the growing issue of AI in the workplace and how it is disassembling the traditional career ladder. 

Earlier in the month, global talent platform Andela released a report which found that in a working landscape being transformed daily by AI, 53pc of AI job postings are asking for skills that don’t match the listed job title, highlighting a disconnect between organisations, recruiters and jobseekers.

Additional research from Microsoft Ireland, via the 2026 Work Trend Index, also found that many Irish employees are considering new career opportunities as AI reshapes the environment. 

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