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CEO of Clearview AI, a controversial facial recognition startup, has resigned | TechCrunch

Feb 20, 2025 - techcrunch.com
Hoan Ton-That, CEO of Clearview AI, has resigned but will remain on the board. The company, known for its controversial facial recognition database of 30 billion photos scraped from the internet, now has two co-CEOs: early investor Hal Lambert and co-founder Richard Schwartz. Both have strong ties to Republican politics and aim to leverage new opportunities under the Trump administration. Clearview AI provides its database to law enforcement and federal agencies but has faced numerous privacy lawsuits and over $100 million in GDPR fines, which it has not paid. The company also dealt with a lawsuit from Charles Johnson, who claimed co-founder status, but the suit was dropped, although Clearview's counterclaims continue.

Despite financial growth and high revenue in 2024, Clearview AI remains unprofitable and struggles to secure large federal contracts. The company raised $30 million in a Series B round in 2021, valuing it at $130 million. Investors include Peter Thiel and Naval Ravikant. The article also mentions Charles Rollet, a senior reporter at TechCrunch, whose investigative work has led to U.S. government sanctions against several tech companies. Rollet is based in San Francisco and can be contacted securely via Signal.

Key takeaways:

  • The CEO of Clearview AI, Hoan Ton-That, has resigned but will remain on the board, with Hal Lambert and Richard Schwartz taking over as co-CEOs.
  • Clearview AI has faced significant legal challenges, including over $100 million in GDPR fines and a lawsuit from Charles Johnson, which he recently dropped.
  • The company is financially strong, achieving its highest growth and revenue in 2024, but remains unprofitable and struggles to secure large federal contracts.
  • Clearview AI's investors include Peter Thiel and Naval Ravikant, and it raised $30 million in a Series B round in 2021, valuing the company at $130 million.
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