Hoan Ton-That, the cofounder and CEO of facial recognition startup Clearview AI, has resigned from his position. The company announced that early investor Hal Lambert and cofounder Richard Schwartz will take over as co-CEOs. Ton-That will remain on Clearview’s board as he steps away from day-to-day operations.
He stated he was “leaving on a high note,” noting that revenue and growth in 2024 were the highest since the company began. The leadership change comes as Clearview aims to secure new contracts under the Trump administration, which has focused on biometric surveillance, especially at the border. Lambert, a Trump supporter who was part of the President’s inauguration committee, and Schwartz, a former advisor to Rudolph Giuliani, will lead efforts to boost national security and public safety.
Clearview AI has faced legal and public scrutiny since its 2020 debut. The company was sued by civil rights groups and fined 30.5 million euros by Dutch regulators for scraping images from Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn without consent.
Clearview leadership changes aim high
Critics say Clearview violated privacy rights. Despite this, Clearview’s technology is still used by U.S. law enforcement. The El Cerrito Police Department in California recently confirmed it uses Clearview’s tool to identify suspects and solve crimes.
A Clearview spokesperson said the technology has been crucial in cases involving terrorism, homicide, theft, fraud, human trafficking, and child predation. Lambert said Clearview is talking with the Pentagon, Homeland Security, and other federal agencies. The company reported $16 million in annual recurring revenue, mostly from local law enforcement contracts.
Although currently unprofitable, Lambert hopes to triple revenue by 2025 through federal partnerships. Clearview raised $30 million in 2021, valuing the company at $130 million. Lambert and Schwartz are expected to keep steering Clearview towards expanding its presence in national security and law enforcement.
Photo by; Immo Wegmann on Unsplash
