Ring’s Jamie Siminoff thinks AI can reduce crime

Jamie Siminoff insists on being called Ring's "chief inventor," not CEO, a telling detail about the man who turned a garage startup into a household name. After selling his video doorbell company to Amazon and staying five years, Siminoff left in 2023, burned out from the relentless grind. But stepping away made him realize something crucial: "I only like doing one thing, which is Ring."

Now he's back with ambitious plans powered by AI. Siminoff believes Ring can "zero out crime" in neighborhoods within a year using technology like their new Search Party feature that helps find lost dogs. His vision involves pervasive surveillance as a path to safety, though this raises thorny questions about privacy and the surveillance state.

The timing of his return wasn't coincidental. As Siminoff puts it, "I left before AI." Today's artificial intelligence capabilities weren't available during his burnout period, opening new possibilities for his safety mission.

Under Amazon's device chief Panos Panay, Ring is integrating more tightly with Alexa, positioning the voice assistant as the "centerpiece" of Amazon's smart home ecosystem while Ring orbits around it.