Ring founder Jamie Siminoff. Image: Ring
The role of CEO will be taken by Elizabeth Hamren, the current COO for Discord and a former executive with Microsoft and Meta.
Five years after being acquired by Amazon, the founder of Ring – Jamie Siminoff – is stepping down from the role of CEO.
The role will be taken on 22 March by Elizabeth Hamren, the current COO for messaging platform Discord and a former Microsoft and Meta executive. Siminoff will remain within Ring as the company’s chief inventor.
“Invention is my true passion,” Siminoff said. “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.”
Founded as Doorbot more than 10 years ago, Siminoff has led the company through “the highs of amazing triumphs and the lows of what felt like crushing defeats”.
Beginning as a project in Siminoff’s garage, the smart home security company now has 50 devices that are sold worldwide.
“We have expanded from the front door with our range of video doorbells, to the home inside and out with cameras, alarms, and sensors, and now to the car with a dash cam,” Siminoff said.
The company had already been in Europe for two years when it was acquired by Amazon for more than $1bn, being brought into the tech giant’s smart home division.
Ring also made its first hiring steps into Ireland last August, when it announced 30 new jobs mainly focused on technical customer support.
“Ring has only been successful because of our amazing team, from the handful of us in my garage to the thousands of dedicated team members today,” Siminoff said.
Hamren has been the COO of Discord since the end of 2021, with management experience with various Big Tech companies.
She was the head of global marketing and sales for Oculus between 2015 and 2017, after the company was acquired by Meta in 2014. Hamren also worked for Microsoft for nearly five years as a corporate VP for devices and for its Xbox division.
Hamren will also lead the Amazon Blink, Key and Sidewalk products when she takes the new CEO position later this month.
“When [Hamren] and I met eight years ago, Ring was so small and I hadn’t shared our mission with anyone except our team, mostly because no one would listen,” Siminoff said. “Even then, Liz understood what I was feeling about the space.
“I’ve felt a kinship with her ever since, and I am honored and excited to have her join the team on this mission.”
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