Rick Smith (CEO, Axon) joined Logan to share the 30-year journey of building a nearly $50B public company behind the TASER, police body cameras, and now AI-powered tools like Draft One. He talks about taking Axon public in the early 2000s, navigating intense public scrutiny, and evolving from a controversial hardware startup into a software and AI pioneer. Rick also reflects on leadership lessons, regulatory battles, and his long-term mission to make the bullet obsolete. It’s a candid and compelling conversation with one of the most unconventional founders in tech.(00:00) Intro(01:31) Axon: Reducing Violence Through Technology(02:12) The Evolution of Axon: From Taser to Body Cameras(04:56) Challenges and Triumphs: Going Public and Beyond(07:17) The Impact of Ferguson and the Rise of Body Cameras(11:16) Navigating Cultural and Business Shifts(17:04) The Role of AI and Future Innovations(25:26) The Taser: Technology and Purpose(34:17) Making the Bullet Obsolete: Future of Law Enforcement(37:10) Consumer Market Evolution(37:59) Proving Taser's Viability(40:17) Targeting Gun Owners(41:45) Taser-Related Deaths and Media Perception(48:07) Employee Taser Experience(50:59) Impact of Body Cameras(52:43) AI Innovations in Law Enforcement(56:15) Challenges in Product Development(01:04:27) Regulatory Hurdles(01:11:31) Leadership and Company Culture(01:14:58) Future Vision for AxonExecutive Producer: Rashad AssirProducer: Leah ClapperMixing and editing: Justin HrabovskyCheck out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA🎙 Listen to the showApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1Follow on Socials📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshowAbout the ShowLogan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.

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EP 145: Rick Smith (CEO, Axon): The Wild Ride From Near-Bankruptcy to $50B+

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