The chief executive officer of Clearview AI, a facial recognition startup that has generated controversy by creating a vast database of over 30 billion photos scraped from the internet, has stepped down, as revealed in a statement provided to TechCrunch.

Hoan Ton-That, the outgoing CEO, stated that he has decided it is time for him to move on to the next phase of his life and will continue to serve as a member of Clearview AI’s board of directors. When asked for further details regarding the reasons behind his resignation, Ton-That declined to comment. The news of his departure was initially reported by Forbes.

Clearview AI has announced that it will now be led by two co-CEOs, Hal Lambert and Richard Schwartz, who are both early investors in the company. According to a statement released by Clearview AI to TechCrunch, the duo aims to capitalize on new opportunities arising under the Trump administration.

Both Lambert and Schwartz have extensive backgrounds in Republican politics. Lambert’s investment firm, Point Bridge Capital, is known for launching the MAGA ETF in 2017, which invests in companies that support Republican candidates. Meanwhile, Schwartz previously served as a senior advisor to Rudy Giuliani during his tenure as the mayor of New York City.

Clearview AI generates revenue by selling access to its facial recognition database to law enforcement agencies and federal authorities, who utilize the platform to identify suspects and locate missing individuals. However, the company has faced numerous privacy lawsuits and fines due to its practice of obtaining photos without the consent of the individuals depicted.

As of September 2024, Clearview AI has accumulated over $100 million in GDPR fines from European data protection agencies in the Netherlands, France, and other countries. Despite this, the company has historically refused to pay these fines, and it remains unclear whether it has paid any of them to date.

Clearview AI has also been involved in a lawsuit with conservative investor and self-described investigative journalist Charles Johnson, who claimed to be a co-founder of the company and sought a share of commissions. Although Johnson has recently dropped the lawsuit, Clearview AI’s counterclaims against him, which allege defamation and breach of contract, are still ongoing.

When asked about his future plans, Ton-That declined to elaborate. However, in his statement, he noted that Clearview AI is currently in its strongest financial position ever, having achieved its highest growth and revenue in 2024. Nevertheless, the company has struggled to secure large federal contracts and remains unprofitable, according to a report by Forbes.

Clearview AI, which counts Peter Thiel and Naval Ravikant among its investors, raised $30 million in a Series B funding round in 2021, valuing the company at $130 million. This information was disclosed in a post on the company’s website.