5 questions with Ring founder Jamie Siminoff

Fourteen years ago, Jamie Siminoff started Ring in his garage. Fast forward to today, and Ring assists millions of people around the world. Jamie is a visionary product leader, an inventor to his core, and passionate about making customers’ lives better and easier.

Following his recent return to Amazon, we sat down with Jamie to talk a bit about the business, our customers, and his vision for the future.

Welcome back! How does it feel to be back at Amazon and Ring?

It feels great—in some ways, like I never left. When I made the decision to move on a couple of years ago, it wasn’t because I didn’t love Ring or Amazon—quite the opposite. It was simply time for me to take a breath and explore the world beyond Ring. What I found only reaffirmed my belief in the opportunity we have here at Amazon to change the world. Earlier this year during the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, I was reminded firsthand of the power of Ring and Blink, and what it means to be able to check in on my home. When I think about the importance of the work we do, I’m inspired to keep inventing, so I’m excited to be back innovating alongside the Ring, Blink, Amazon Key, and Sidewalk teams.

As an inventor, you created the video doorbell, which led to a whole family of products customers love. What will you be focused on now that you’re back?

Invention is my true passion—I love looking at what we can invent for our neighbors, which is what I’ve always called our customers. I tend not think in terms of, ‘in X years, we’re going to build this.’ Instead, I try to think about finite truths. For example, I know people want to feel like they’re always home, and that their homes are safe, even when they’re thousands of miles away—so I’m going to focus on that. I also know customers want experiences that are great on their own, but even better when they extend and work seamlessly across different types of devices. We have so many possibilities to create these experiences here, so I’m super focused on that too.

As you’ve watched, what has excited you most about the team’s accomplishments over the past few years?

Liz [Hamren] and the team have done an awesome job driving the business, delivering strong results, and bringing a lot of delightful experiences to neighbors. The AI transformation happening right now is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and I think we’re super well positioned with helpful and practical AI features like Smart Video Search. It’s just the start here—we’re just scratching the surface of what we can do with AI—and I look forward to digging into this with the team even more.

What role do you see Amazon’s devices playing in the broader smart home experience?

So Panos [Panay, SVP, Amazon Devices & Services] and I have talked about this a lot—about the experiences we can create with devices that are awesome on their own, but even better together. I think you’ll continue to see a lot of that from us moving forward—helping customers stay safe, connected, and informed as part of a magical connected experience.

What is one thing you want customers to know about you?

I’m someone who likes to roll up my sleeves—I am going to passionately work and invent on our customers’ behalf. When I first started Ring, I would join our customer service representatives every month and answer calls myself to better understand any pain points people might have been experiencing. I would then take these insights and apply them to our product development to help deliver the very best experience for neighbors everywhere. I also used to put my email address on Ring packaging so that anyone who bought a product knew they could contact me. I tried to read every email people sent me, even becoming pen pals with many neighbors along the way. I always enjoy hearing how our products and services have had a positive impact on lives, and my inbox remains open.

Next, read 3 things you didn’t know about Ring.