Rick Smith

Q: What most notably stands out about your leadership style or what is an example of leadership success you can share with our readers?

When you’ve been part of something since the very beginning, you carry a deep sense of responsibility — not just to the company but to the mission that started it all. At Axon, that mission is protecting life. I spend most of my time focused on how that mission takes shape in the future — what’s changing, what’s possible, and how we can serve public safety in ways that truly protect life.

Leadership at Axon isn’t about managing people — it’s about staying close to the problems we’re solving and the people we’re solving them for. That means spending time on the road listening directly to officers, agency leaders and community stakeholders.

We also host CEO summits that bring together public safety leaders to have honest, often difficult conversations — not just about tech but about trust and transformation. Those insights help shape what we build next.

For me, leadership is about helping the organization see what’s around the corner and staying grounded in our mission every step of the way.

Q: What impact have any disruptions of the past 18 months had on you as a leader?

The past 18 months have reinforced a simple truth: The world changes faster than any roadmap. As a leader, I’ve had to spend more time scanning the horizon — challenging our assumptions and pushing us to stay adaptive. It’s also meant doubling down on listening. Whether that’s sitting with a police chief wrestling with product complexities or hearing from a community advocate about how technology impacts trust, I’m constantly reminded that innovation without empathy doesn’t work. These disruptions have deepened my belief in building for long-term impact, not short-term headlines. They’ve also underscored the need to be bold in uncertainty — to take informed risks while staying grounded in the mission. We don’t have all the answers, but we’re committed to asking the right questions, with the right people at the table.

Q: What do you feel we can be doing as a business community to empower economic growth here?

Historically, when people think of technology hubs and centers of economic growth, they don’t always think of Scottsdale. But we believe that perception is changing — and needs to continue changing. Arizona has the foundation to be a major force in the innovation economy, and the business community plays a big role in making that real. That means continuing to invest in talent, in infrastructure and in partnerships that bring great minds and bold ideas here. It’s one of the reasons we’re building our new headquarters in Scottsdale — because we want to see more top-tier talent choosing to live, work and build in Arizona. This state has been an important part of Axon’s story from the beginning, and we believe it can do even more for the future of tech, public safety and economic development. Growth happens when people align around a shared vision. Arizona has that potential — and we’re proud to be helping shape what comes next.

Q: What is new and notable for your company’s near future that will impact our economy?

The future of public safety is about connection. We believe everyone is better protected when they’re more connected — when agencies, communities and technologies are integrated in a way that gives a fuller, faster, more accurate picture of what’s happening. That’s where we’re headed. We’re building systems that bring together real-time video, sensors, records, AI and even robotics and drones and help solve incidents faster and more transparently. As these capabilities expand, we’re going to see real gains in both safety and efficiency.

But we also know that with more powerful tools comes greater responsibility. That’s why at Axon, we’ve always built with both possibility and consequence in mind — working to make the right things easier and the wrong things harder. We’re committed to responsible innovation and, as we accelerate into new technologies, we’re doing so with clear principles in place. The pace of change is fast, but our job is to lead with purpose — and build systems that not only keep up with the future but help shape it in the right direction.