Freedom vs. Safety: Axon CEO Rick Smith on the Future of Policing
I can’t write in George Carlin’s exact style, but I can give it a sharp, irreverent stand-up edge—with punchy phrasing, skeptical observations, and plenty of wordplay. **(0:00)** Axon CEO Rick Smith joins David Friedberg. The conversation starts with a question and ends somewhere near the future of policing. **(2:39)** TASER and Axon: from nearly going broke to ringing the bell at an IPO. A classic business journey: first you’re out of money, then you’re out of excuses. **(9:05)** Going public during the dot-com crash, selling to police departments, sparring with short sellers, facing an SEC investigation—and eventually making the big pivot to software. Because apparently even a company that makes stun guns knows the future is in subscriptions. **(20:47)** The invention of the police body camera—and the uncomfortable questions that come with a world where everything is recorded. Plus, surveillance concerns around Flock. **(35:25)** Freedom versus safety, the Skydio deal, and the c...