By Hoan Ton-That
Publication Date: 2026-06-04 02:13:00
Hello. My name is Hoan Ton-That and I’m addicted to Claude Code. I’m a lifelong programmer and the founder and former CEO of Clearview AI, the first major facial recognition company in the country to use AI, and where I myself wrote the first version of our software.
When I started Clearview it landed the front page from The New York Timess in January 2020 with the headline “The Mysterious Company That Could End Privacy as We Know It.” We had developed groundbreaking facial recognition technology that allowed law enforcement to search through billions of public images simply by uploading a photo of a face. The technology helped law enforcement solve crimes related to children, human trafficking and financial fraud.
The response to our new technology raised concerns among privacy advocates and the public. Today’s simultaneous fear and excitement surrounding AI coding tools reminds me of what I went through with Clearview and what any new technology must go through.
Two months ago I…
