Boldly Go Podcast

Hosts Mike Wagers and Rick Smith interview Amir Elichai, Israeli-born co-founder of Carbyne, about how a beach mugging in Tel Aviv exposed the “broken telephone game” of emergency response and inspired a modern, cloud-based 911 platform. Elichai recounts growing up in Ashdod, his father’s work on Iron Dome, and how five years in the IDF’s Egoz special forces shaped his leadership. After serving in...

Recorded live in front of 3,000 attendees at Axon Week in Nashville, hosts Mike Wagers and Rick Smith sit down with Harvard cognitive psychologist Dr. Steven Pinker — author of The Better Angels of Our Nature and his latest book, When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . Pinker has spent decades arguing what the headlines rarely tell you: violence has been declining for centuries, and policing has...

When you call 911, everything depends on what happens next. But behind the scenes, many dispatch centers are still running on decades-old systems—forcing operators to manage life-and-death moments with tools that weren’t built for today’s world. Michael Chime walked away from Yale University as a Thiel Fellowship recipient to build a school safety app. That path led him somewhere unexpected: insid...

In this episode of the Boldly Go Podcast, Axon co-founder Tom Smith shares the untold stories behind Taser’s early days. Alongside his brother Rick Smith, Tom reflects on the scrappy startup years—testing prototypes on themselves, chasing their first big break with Sharper Image, surviving near bankruptcy, and being forced to move production to Mexico after regulatory barriers made it impossible t...

What does it take to turn a struggling startup into a global force for public safety? For Max Nerheim — Axon’s first electrical engineer — it started with a $20,000 fixed-price contract, a lab in a literal broom closet, and the guts to tell the founders their original design was “a piece of junk.” In this episode of the Boldly Go Podcast , Rick Smith and Mike Wagers sit down with the man who holds...

In this episode of the Boldly Go Podcast, Rick Smith and Mike Wagers sit down with Jason Droege, a key architect behind Axon’s transformation from a hardware-focused weapons company into a leading software, cloud, and AI platform. Jason reflects on the chaotic early days of Evidence.com , the cultural and technical challenges of scaling software inside a legacy organization, and pivotal moments th...

In this episode of Boldly Go, hosts Rick Smith and Mike Wagers sit down with Hadi Partovi—founder and CEO of Code.org, early investor in companies like Facebook, Uber, and Airbnb, and longtime Axon board member—for a wide-ranging conversation on technology, leadership, and values. Partovi shares how he helped steer Axon through pivotal moments: rescuing its early cloud strategy, rebuilding its sof...

In this emotional and historically rich episode, Rick and Mike sit down in London with longtime friend and former UK Taser distributor Kevin Coles to recount the remarkable—and ultimately tragic—story behind bringing the TASER device to the United Kingdom. Kevin shares how he and the late Peter Boatman fought through years of restrictive regulations, political hurdles, and media scrutiny to introd...

In this episode of Boldly Go, hosts Rick Smith and Mike Wagers sit down with Piotr Baczynski, founder and CEO of Immersion Labs, for a deep dive into the past, present, and fast-approaching future of VR and AR. Piotr shares the unlikely origin of his company, lessons from the early days of Oculus, why VR training boosts real-world performance, how Axon and Immersion Labs partnered to build groundb...

In this lively episode of Boldly Go, former Axon president Luke Larson and current president Josh Isner join for a candid, hilarious, and heartfelt conversation about Axon’s evolution, culture, and leadership lessons learned along the way. From stuffed-animal giveaways that turned into marketing gold, to the origins of the Axon watermark, to stories of mentorship, risk-taking, and rewarding employ...

In this laugh-out-loud episode of Boldy Go, Rick Smith, Mike Wagers, and special guests Luke Larson and Josh Isner swap stories about Axon’s scrappy early days, leadership lessons, and the missteps that built the company’s culture. From a rejected job candidate who became president, to fake-blood office pranks and bold bets that paid off, this conversation is packed with humor, humility, and heart...

In Episode 17 of  Boldly Go , Rick Smith and Mike Wagers dive deep into artificial intelligence, exponential technological change, and the bold future ahead. From Ray Kurzweil’s predictions to real-world applications of ChatGPT, MidJourney, and Grok, they explore how AI is reshaping everything—from public safety to personal health and even human relationships. With humor, candor, and a few unforge...

In Episode 16 of Boldly Go , Rick Smith continues his conversation with former Axon President Luke Larson, diving into the pivotal years that transformed Taser into Axon. Luke shares stories of bold marketing stunts, the turning point after Ferguson, and how Axon’s culture of creativity and values like “Expect Candor” and “Boldly Go” shaped its rise. From stuffed dinosaurs to company costume parti...

When a stolen prototype disappears and an unexpected guest breaks in, the Boldly Go crew must decode what’s real, what’s planted, and who’s playing who. Secrets unravel—and so does trust.

Rick Smith and Mike Wagers recount Axon’s 2004-05 crucible—media hit-jobs, short-seller assaults and a hidden mole—and the audacious Axon Flex pivot that resurrected the company and ignited modern body-camera tech.

Rick and Mike rewind to 2005, the year Axon (formerly TASER International) faced its toughest battles yet—SEC investigations, internal betrayal, patent controversies, and relentless media scrutiny. Recorded from picturesque locations in Maui and North Carolina, this episode dives deep into the resilience and grit that kept the company alive amidst chaos, highlighting crucial leadership lessons fro...

Episode 12 of the Boldly Go podcast continues the deep dive into addressing and rebutting claims made in a John Oliver segment criticizing Axon and the use of tasers. Rick Smith and Mike Wagers methodically challenge the narrative presented on the show, particularly around the topic of "excited delirium," the role of tasers in in-custody deaths, and the portrayal of Axon's practices....

Join Rick and Mike in Episode 11 of the Boldly Go Podcast as they unpack a lively and insightful response to comedian John Oliver's controversial take on Axon and TASER technology. Mixing humor with serious myth-busting, the hosts set the record straight on misinformation, delve into the rigorous science and safety testing behind TASER devices, and share candid stories behind some headline-gra...

In Episode 10, join renowned medical expert Dr. Jeffrey Ho as he takes us into the lab to scientifically explore how TASER devices affect the human body. Through carefully controlled experiments and detailed medical analysis, Dr. Ho provides insights into stress physiology, debunks common misconceptions, and shares key findings from decades of rigorous testing—revealing how science is making polic...

Get ready for a hard-hitting, myth-shattering episode of the Boldly Go Podcast! Rick Smith and Mike Wagers join forces with legendary biomedical inventor and electrophysiology expert Dr. Mark Kroll to dismantle the biggest myths surrounding TASER technology. Dive into explosive truths about alleged safety risks, media hype, and misunderstood practices like prone restraint. With razor-sharp data an...

Rick and Mike dive into Axon's most chaotic chapter yet — the post-IPO rocket ride that nearly blew the company up. Think Lamborghinis, soaring stock prices, and then... crash. A failed TASER test with Marine legend Hans Marrero sparks a last-minute overhaul of the X26 just six weeks before launch. Then a bold pricing move doubles revenue—and unknowingly funds Axon’s survival through an onslaught...

What do you get when you mix startup grit, a $500K lifeline, and one wild pitch tour? Rick and Mike unpack Axon’s bumpy, brilliant path to going public — including DIY due diligence, a pivotal banker, and a global roadshow that pulled out all the stops. This one’s a crash course in bold moves and high-stakes moments.

Hans Marrero once beat the Air TASER in a public demo—now he’s Axon’s Chief Instructor, reshaping how officers prepare for real-world encounters. In this episode, Hans joins Rick and Mike to talk combat mindset, tech-driven readiness, and why challenging the status quo is the first step to saving lives.

This one’s a rollercoaster. Rick, Mike, and returning guest Steve Tuttle take us deep into one of Axon's most chaotic chapters: the Auto Taser saga. From volcanic vibes to nearly bankrupting the company (and their families), this episode unpacks wild demos, near arrests, manufacturing nightmares, a full-on marketing blitz dubbed “Project Godzilla”… and the startup grit that somehow pulled them...

In this exciting episode, we’re joined by special guest Steve Tuttle to uncover the inspiring story behind Axon’s rise. Steve shares firsthand experiences of how bold innovation reshaped law enforcement training, sparking hope and driving meaningful change in communities everywhere. Tune in for a powerful conversation about courage, transformation, and the passion behind building a safer future.