Rick Smith

Rick Smith is the founder and CEO of Axon Enterprise Inc. (formerly TASER International), the world's leading public safety technology company. Smith co-founded the company in 1993 to develop less-lethal weapons as alternatives to firearms, and the TASER conducted energy weapon became standard issue for law enforcement agencies worldwide. But Smith's true strategic genius was pivoting the company from a hardware weapons manufacturer into a comprehensive technology platform for public safety. Axon's platform now encompasses TASER devices, body-worn cameras (Axon Body), in-car cameras (Axon Fleet), the Axon Cloud ecosystem (Evidence.com for digital evidence management, Axon Records for police report writing, Axon Standards for training), and increasingly, AI-powered tools including Draft One (AI-generated police reports from body camera footage). This platform model generates high-margin recurring SaaS revenue from evidence storage and software subscriptions. Smith's key decisions involve AI product development for law enforcement (navigating the sensitive intersection of AI and policing), international expansion, body camera and TASER hardware innovation, and pricing strategy as the platform grows more comprehensive.