Siminoff stepping down at Ring, to be replaced by Hamren

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Only five years after its acquisition by Amazon for $1 billion, Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff is stepping down.

In a blog post on Ring’s website the CEO discussed his departure which will take place on March 22. Siminoff founded the company in 2013 as Doorbot. The company was crowdfunded and raised an initial $364,000, more than the requested amount of $250,000. In describing his decision to step down from the role Siminoff said that, “Invention is my true passion. I am constantly looking at how we can adapt to deliver for our neighbors, 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.”

The news won’t come as surprise to members on the Ring team who Siminoff said were informed last June. Instead, they’ll be welcoming new boss Elizabeth Hamren to the role as CEO when Siminoff transitions at the end of the month. Hamren comes from Discord where she serves as COO for the popular messaging and streaming app. In the past she’s also worked on other consumer product brands like Oculus Rift and Xbox and has held executive roles at Dropcam, Plantronics, and Jawbone among others. In her new role she will lead operations for Ring, Blink, Amazon Sidewalk, and Amazon Key.

Ring’s home surveillance and security devices have come under fire in recent years with incidents of employees having unfettered access to user cams and data and other breaches of privacy. It has also expanded its product line from doorbell cameras to other home security systems, a dashboard camera for vehicles, and most recently a mini drone that operates as a mobile security camera for the home.

“I’d be remiss to not mention our neighbors, 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,” Siminoff added in closing on his blog post. “To those millions of neighbors, 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.”