Ring (company)
 | |
 The Ring video doorbell, mounted next to the front door of a house | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Bot Home Automation, Inc. |
| Founded | November 15, 2013 (as Doorbot) |
| Founder | Jamie Siminoff |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California, U.S.[1] |
| Products |
|
| Services | |
Number of employees | 1,300 (2018)[2] |
| Parent | Amazon (2018–present) |
| Website | ring |
Ring LLC is a manufacturer of home security and smart home devices owned by Amazon. It manufactures a titular line of smart doorbells, home security cameras, and alarm systems. It also operates Neighbors, a social network that allows users to discuss local safety and security issues, and share footage captured with Ring products. Via Neighbors, Ring may also provide footage and data to law enforcement agencies to assist in investigations.
The company was first founded autumn 2013 by Jamie Siminoff as the crowdfunded startup Doorbot; it was renamed Ring in autumn 2014, after which it began to receive equity investments. It was acquired by Amazon in 2018 for approximately $1 billion.[3]
Ring's product lines have faced scrutiny over privacy issues. The Neighbors service has been criticized by civil rights advocacy groups as building a private surveillance network backed by law enforcement agencies until the service was discontinued in 2024. Ring agreed to pay $5.8 million in 2023 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission for alleged privacy violations. Various security vulnerabilities have also been discovered in Ring products.
History[edit]
As a startup (2013–2017)[edit]
In November 2013, Ring was founded as Doorbot by Jamie Siminoff. Doorbot was crowdfunded via Christie Street, and raised US$364,000, more than the $250,000 requested.[1][4][5] Siminoff's team envisioned the product's concept as an "alarm system literally turned inside out" in comparison to other security systems, describing it as a "pre-crime" system.[6] In 2013, Siminoff and Doorbot appeared on an episode of the reality series Shark Tank to seek a $700,000 investment in the company, which he estimated was worth $7 million.[7] Kevin O'Leary made an offer as a potential investor, but Siminoff declined it.[8] Siminoff estimated that the appearance led to $5 million in additional sales.[8]
On September 26, 2014, the company was rebranded as Ring as it launched its second-generation hardware; Siminoff explained that the new name and updated hardware was more reflective of the company's positioning of the doorbell as a home security product.[6]
In 2016, Shaquille O'Neal acquired an equity stake in Ring, and subsequently became a spokesperson in the company's marketing.[9] The company raised over $200 million in investments from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Qualcomm Ventures, Goldman Sachs, DFJ Growth and Sir Richard Branson.[10][11][12]
In 2017, ADT sued Ring for trade secret theft in the case of ADT vs. Mike Harris relating to Ring Alarm. Sales of the alarm product were preliminarily blocked by a judge in late 2017.[13] The case ended up settling for an unconfirmed $25 million.[14] With a reported burn rate of $10 to $12 million per month[15] and incurred legal expenses, Ring needed to raise cash. The ADT settlement, however, spooked investors causing the CEO to seek a quick sale.[16]
Siminoff's attitude towards Amazon changed overnight. In a November 2017 interview with the Ambient, when asked about Amazon Key, the CEO responded,
"Amazon is both an investor in Ring as well as a strong partner, so we have a lot of respect there but, in this instance with what they've done, I was never a fan of how this was put together," he explains. "I don't believe the seal around the home should ever be breached by a third-party company. No matter how many cameras you have and how much control you have over it, I just don't think it's a good idea." "To me it's backwards because Amazon is usually so thoughtful around scale and when you're doing like 50 million interactions a day, even if the smallest percentage – like 0.0001% goes wrong – that could be like five deaths a day!"[17]
According to emails between Jeff Bezos and other Amazon executives unearthed during a congressional investigation, Amazon began conducting due diligence to acquire Ring in November 2017.[18]
Subsidiary of Amazon (2018–present)[edit]
On April 12, 2018, Ring was acquired by Amazon for approximately $839 million.[19][20] Emails obtained by congress revealed that, despite Amazon executives' concerns about Ring's quality and security, Bezos valued Ring for its market share, not its technology.[21] One email revealed that Amazon evaluated sales data before buying two of the top four wireless home security device manufacturers.[22]
In May 2018, Ring launched the hyperlocal social network Neighbors, which is designed to allow users to anonymously discuss local safety and security issues, as well as share photos and videos captured with Ring products. The service also allows local police departments to post bulletins, and for them to request footage from users that may assist in investigations.[23][24]
In September 2019, the House Judiciary Committee began investigating the acquisition of Ring, Blink, and Eero as part of an investigation into digital markets.[25]
In September 2020, Amazon announced a new platform known as Amazon Sidewalk, which is designed to allow internet of things devices to communicate over the internet via a wireless mesh network formed by devices such as Amazon Echo speakers. Ring products are supported by the platform.[26][27][28][29]
The United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform launched an investigation into Ring's data-sharing partnerships with local governments and police departments on February 19, 2020.[30][31]
In October 2020, Congress published the report on competition in digital markets, featuring their findings on acquisitions entrenching Alexa's dominance of the Internet of Things.[32] Along with the rationale for acquiring Ring, the investigation also surfaced Siminoff's involvement in the Eero acquisition, hinting at the Ring Alarm Pro: an Eero + Ring hub launched in 2021.[33]
In April 2021, ADT Inc. sued Ring for trademark infringement, after re-introducing blue octagonal signs that were too similar to the ADT logo. Ring first agreed to cease using a similar logo in 2016 following a prior complaint.[34]
In September 2022, Amazon-owned MGM Television launched a syndicated television series co-branded with Ring, Ring Nation, which highlights viral videos recorded using phones, home security cameras, and smart doorbells. Despite its title, the series is not exclusive to footage captured with Ring products.[35]
In March 2023, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff stepped down as CEO to become "Chief Inventor". He was replaced by Elizabeth Hamren, a former executive at Discord, Oculus, and Xbox.[36]
In May 2023, the Federal Trade Commission reached a $5.8 million settlement with Ring, asserting that Ring "[compromised] its customers’ privacy by allowing any employee or contractor to access consumers’ private videos and by failing to implement basic privacy and security protections, enabling hackers to take control of consumers’ accounts, cameras, and videos."[37] Among many claims, the complaint alleges, "between June and August 2017, a Ring employee viewed thousands of video recordings belonging to at least 81 unique female users (including customers and Ring employees)."[38][39]
Products and services[edit]
Ring Video Doorbell[edit]
The Ring Video Doorbell is the company's flagship product; it is a smart doorbell that contains a high-definition camera, a motion sensor, and a microphone and speaker for two-way audio communication. It integrates with an associated mobile app, Neighbors, which allows users to view real-time video from the camera, receive notifications when the doorbell is rung, and communicate with visitors at the door via the integrated speaker and microphone. It is also capable of operating as a surveillance camera, and can automatically trigger recordings when rung, or when its motion sensors are activated.[40][41][42][43]
A second-generation model, Ring Doorbell 2, was released in 2017, with updated hardware and a 1080p camera with improved low-light performance, that does not rely solely on Wi-Fi, unlike the original model.[44] The Ring Doorbell Pro interoperates with Amazon Alexa to play prerecorded greetings to visitors and allow visitors to leave a message.[45]
The "Ring Chime" accessory is a unit plugged into a power outlet to play the doorbell's chime. The "Chime Pro" is an extended version that also doubles as a wireless repeater for Wi-Fi networks.[46]
In November 2020, Amazon announced the recall of 350,000 Ring doorbells in the United States and 8,700 in Canada due to a potential fire risk.[47]
Ring Cameras[edit]
In 2015, Ring released the "Stick-Up Cam", a wireless IP camera. It was updated in 2018 with a cylindrical form factor, motion detection, two-way audio, as well as battery, wired, and solar power options.[48] In 2017, Ring released the "Floodlight Cam", a camera integrated with a pair of motion-activated LED floodlights,[49] and in 2019, the "Ring Indoor Cam" was released.[50] At CES 2019, Ring announced a peephole camera.[51]
Ring Alarm[edit]
In July 2018, Ring launched an alarm security kit called the Ring Alarm, which includes a keypad, siren, and motion sensors.[52][53][54]
