Amazon's Ring goes full founder mode, taking the company back to its crime-fighting roots

Ring founder Jamie SiminoffKimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunchRing founder Jamie Siminoff has led a broad overhaul of the company since his return in April.He recently reinstated Ring's original mission.The founder has also stressed productivity and cost-efficiency, following Andy Jassy's core message.Amazon's Ring division is re-embracing founder mode, part of a broader cultural and operational crackdown by CEO Andy Jassy.In April, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff rejoined Amazon to run the internet-based doorbell company again. He replaced former CEO Liz Hamren.Just months into his return, Siminoff is making sweeping changes.One of his first moves: scrapping Ring's socially driven mission — "Keep people close to what's important" — which Amazon introduced last year.In its place, Siminoff reinstated Ring's original mission statement, "Make neighborhoods safer," which suggests the business is going back to its founding identity as a crime-prevention tool."So excited to be back working on our mission to make neighborhoods safer!" Siminoff wrote in a companywide email on his second day back. A copy of the memo was viewed by Business Insider.The shift marks the beginning of a broader reset led by Siminoff, who returned after a two-year hiatus. Alongside the mission reboot, he's pushing for faster execution, greater efficiency, and a deeper reliance on AI, according to internal emails and conversations with current and former employees. These individuals asked not to be identified because they're not authorized to discuss internal matters.Ring's transformation reflects broader shifts within Amazon, where Jassy emphasizes productivity and cost-efficiency across the sprawling e-commerce and cloud giant. Other Big Tech companies, from Google and Meta to Microsoft, are making similar changes."We are reimagining Ring from the ground up with AI first," Siminoff wrote in a recent email to staff. "It feels like the early days again — same energy and the same potential to revolutionize how we do our neighborhood safety."A Ring spokesperson declined to comment.A Return to SurveillanceWhile Siminoff was away, Ring softened its public image under Hamren's leadership. The company leaned into a more community-focused brand and distanced itself from the surveillance tools that previously sparked privacy concerns.Hamren retired a controversial feature that allowed law enforcement to request footage from Ring users through the Neighbors app and introduced a more approachable mission statement last year.Now, Siminoff is rolling back much of that vision, steering Ring back to its original role as a neighborhood crime watchdog.As part of that pivot, Ring announced a partnership with Axon in April that effectively revives the video-request feature for police. The company is also exploring a new integration with Axon that would enable livestreaming from Ring devices for those who consent, according to a person familiar with the matter.Privacy and civil liberties groups have criticized Ring's video-sharing capabilities, citing a lack of transparency and concerns about unethical use. In 2023, Amazon agreed to a $5.8 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations of privacy violations. Amazon denied wrongdoing.Several Ring employees told BI they remain uneasy about the partnership with Axon, which is famous for making Tasers, which are used by law enforcement to zap people with electric shocks.These Ring employees said customers may not don't fully understand what they're opting into, and it's unclear how video footage will ultimately be used. Data security also remains a concern, they added.Ring's smart doorbellRingSiminoff's influence is also showing up in Ring's product roadmap and internal policies.The long-delayed home surveillance drone, originally unveiled in 2020, is expected to launch soon, according to people familiar with the plans. Siminoff has been testing the drone in the office, though it's likely to debut in limited quantities, they said.In June, Ring introduced a new text alert feature that provides real-time updates about activity captured by its devices. According to a recent internal email, Siminoff told employees the alerts would soon be refined to notify users only when "something unusual happens.""My vision has always been that Ring would help super power our neighborhoods for good," Siminoff wrote in an April email.'Bigger impact'Siminoff, who founded Ring in 2011, sold the company to Amazon in 2018 for about $1 billion. His official title now is VP of product, but he signs off his emails as Ring's "Chief Inventor and Founder."In practice, he oversees not only Ring but also Amazon's Blink security cameras, Key in-home delivery service, and the Sidewalk wireless network. Ring doesn't have a formal CEO anymore.When Siminoff returned, some staffers were apprehensive about changes he might make. That concern was reinforced when he introduced a new travel policy in April requiring employees to email the company about the purpose of each business trip. He cited high travel costs and said the emails would serve as documentation when "auditing things."After some employees pushed back, Siminoff doubled down in a follow-up message, reaffirming the policy. That second time, he pointed to a recent Jassy annual shareholder letter, which emphasized building a culture that encourages employees to ask "why" as a path to smarter decision-making."If we all keep doing this, I am certain we will be able to have such a bigger impact on the world," Siminoff wrote.Amazon CEO Andy JassyREUTERS/Brendan McDermidSince his return, Siminoff has also made changes to Ring's leadership and operations. In late April, Chief Product Officer Mike Harris and Chief Technology Officer Mike Balog both exited. In their place, Siminoff brought back longtime lieutenant Jason Mitura to lead the product and technology teams across Ring, Blink, and Sidewalk, according to an internal email.Siminoff has also consolidated Rings office footprint for "speed" and "efficiency." Ring's Santa Monica office is shutting down, while Amazon's Hawthorne and Amsterdam locations have become headquarters for the combined Ring, Blink, Key, and Sidewalk teams.'Double our output immediately'Internally, Siminoff has scrapped Ring's monthly all-hands meetings and replaced them with a steady stream of companywide emails. Many of these messages focus on eliminating bureaucracy and encouraging creativity with AI.In April, he launched a dedicated inbox where employees could submit new ideas (something Jassy has also done since becoming CEO of Amazon). While praising some of the more unconventional submissions, Siminoff also urged employees to vet their ideas through AI tools first to avoid duplication, and to consider the resources required and messaging clarity before pitching.Siminoff has made it clear that AI will be central to Ring's future.Starting in the third quarter, every promotion will have to prove that the employee used AI to improve operational efficiency or customer experiences, according to a recent email. They will also have to explain how they "accomplished more with less," the email said.In mid-June, Siminoff also encouraged employees to use AI at least once a day to improve productivity. The following day, he circulated a memo from Jassy that warned job cuts could result from AI-driven efficiencies."If we all lean in on AI, could we launch 10% or 10 times more shit?" Siminoff asked in a recent email. "My guess is if we really all fully leaned in on AI and pushed ourselves hard to create constraints that only could be overcome with the use of AI, we could double our output immediately."Not all of Siminoff's communications focus on technology. In one instance, he addressed a cultural issue: the excessive use of acronyms in meetings.He noted that acronyms often obscure meaning and slow down decision-making."The best thing we can do is use data and clear language," he wrote. "It allows for faster and more accurate decisions."Have a tip? Contact this reporter via email at [email protected] or Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp at 650-942-3061. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.Read the original article on Business Insider

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