Over 10 years ago, I was in my garage tinkering on some ideas when I realised I kept missing people at the door. I thought, “Why can’t I answer the door from my new smartphone?” Well, with a little soldering, a trip to Fry’s, and my 3D printer, the Ring Video Doorbell was born.
We have come a long way since then, and I say “we” because John Modestine, August Cziment, and Karni Baghdikian started with me in the garage and are still at Ring today. Ring has made the doorbell more than just a button outside your house. It’s a meaningful device that delivers real impact through our mission to make neighbourhoods safer. Today, we have 50 devices across five core categories sold around the world. We have expanded from the front door with our range of video doorbells, to the home inside and out with cameras, alarms, and sensors, and now to the car with a dash cam.
Since 2012, we’ve experienced the highs of amazing triumphs and the lows of what felt like crushing defeats. We took a pivotal step forward when we joined Amazon in 2018. In the last five years, I’ve grown from being a frenetic entrepreneur to making an impact for customers at scale, and my biggest joy is seeing our impact across neighbourhoods. I would like to think I might have even become a proper manager, but you’d have to ask my team. 😊
Invention is my true passion. I am constantly looking at how we can adapt to deliver for our neighbours, which is what we’ve always called our customers. This is why I decided to shift my role to Chief Inventor and bring on a new CEO.
To the Ring team, this is old news. I shared this transition plan with them last June with the promise that we would find the right person for our next chapter. Today, I’m excited to introduce our new CEO, Elizabeth (Liz) Hamren, who is joining us most recently from Discord where she is COO. Liz has a long history in consumer devices and subscription services, building and launching some of the most innovative and beloved consumer products from Oculus to Xbox and more. When she and I met eight years ago, Ring was so small and I hadn’t shared our mission with anyone except our team, mostly because no one would listen. Even then, Liz understood what I was feeling about the space: Our work wasn’t about trying to make a faster chip or shinier plastic, it was about changing the way neighbours think about security for the better. I’ve felt a kinship with her ever since, and I am honoured and excited to have her join the team on this mission.
Liz will lead Ring, Blink, Amazon Key, and Amazon Sidewalk, starting on March 22. I will focus on inventing even more great products with Liz—and maybe have a little more free time too.
Ring has only been successful because of our amazing team, from the handful of us in my garage to the thousands of dedicated team members today.
I’d be remiss to not mention our neighbours, who have always been an extension of our team, sharing critical feedback to help make our products better and supporting us when we needed it most. To those millions of neighbours, thank you for trusting Ring and continuing to believe in our mission. I have always put my email address on the Ring device box, and I try to read every email you send me, even becoming pen pals with many of you. I always enjoy hearing how our devices and services have had a positive impact on your lives, and my inbox remains open.
Finally, to my wife, Erin, and son, Oliver, who were—and continue to be—my biggest cheerleaders. Without them, there is a good chance that Ring would be just an idea that got left in the garage.
I hope to write a post 10 years from now looking back on how we continued to embrace change and expanded our mission and impact. Until then, it’s back to work for me.
Jamie
Founder and Chief Inventor
j@ring.com
Our Continued Innovation and Evolution.
