We need your help. Let's work to keep jobs and innovation in Arizona. Visit www.saveazfuture.com to get involved.
A blog by Rick Smith
Two police officers stood in the Arizona heat, facing a moment that could change lives forever. One, a rookie, felt the weight of his badge as he stood as back up, with his gun in hand on an armed suspect, considering the unthinkable. The other, a veteran, held a TASER 10—a tool designed for moments just like this. A fraction of a second later, the situation was de-escalated. No bullets fired. No lives lost.
This wasn’t a headline. It wasn’t breaking news. It was just another moment where technology played a role in saving a life. And it happened right here, in Arizona. But the reality is, it’s happening all over the world today, thanks to technology that was invented in your backyard.
For over 30 years, Axon has been inventing the future of public safety—not in Silicon Valley, not on Wall Street, but in Arizona. This state has been more than our headquarters. It has been our launchpad. It has shaped who we are, what we build, and why we fight for a world where technology doesn’t just make people safer—it makes communities stronger.
And now, we’re fighting for Arizona itself.
A message from Rick Smith
A message from Rick Smith
Axon wasn’t created in a high-tech lab. Our first TASER prototypes were built in garages, tested in warehouses, on the backs of a team of scrappy innovators who believed in something bigger. We weren’t just starting a business. We were building a movement—one rooted in a singular mission: to protect life.
This state—its grit, its ambition, its people—made Axon what it is today. And because of that, we’ve spent decades pouring everything we have back into Arizona. We built an industry-leading company here, employing thousands in jobs that don’t just pay well—they matter. We invested in innovation that has reshaped public safety, from body-worn cameras and real-time crime centers to drones, robotics, and AI-powered decision-making.
And where did we want to continue to do all this innovation? In Arizona.
Two years ago, we announced plans for a new global headquarters—one that would put Arizona on the map as a leader in technology and economic growth. A place that would bring 5,000 high-paying jobs, nearly $40 billion in economic impact, and a vision for Scottsdale that would stand for generations.
That future is now at risk and its not because of economics, or demand. It’s because of political interference and broken bureaucracy.
Axon has always been a company that fights for what’s right. We took on outdated policing practices, built body camera accountability, and led the charge in making TASER devices standard in modern policing. And now, we’re facing a fight right here at home.
A small but vocal group of out-of-state special interests—using the same tactics that drove the Arizona Coyotes out of the state—is attempting to kill our headquarters project. Not because it’s bad for Arizona, but because it doesn’t fit their agenda. They don’t care about the thousands of Arizona families who rely on jobs from companies like Axon. They don’t care about the long-term economic impact of pushing innovation out of this state. They care about control—about using a weaponized referendum process to hold Arizona’s business future hostage.
If this can happen to one of the largest and fastest-growing companies in the state, what happens to the next great Arizona-born innovation? How will Arizona attract new High Tech companies to move here if it allows a home grown leader to be driven out.
If we let this stand, Arizona will lose more than a headquarters. It will lose its place as a destination for innovation. This is about more than Axon—this is about what kind of state Arizona wants to be. We must decide if Arizona remains a place where bold companies build, where ideas thrive, where the next generation of innovators chooses to stay and create. Or, if we allow political gamesmanship to shut the door on the very businesses that have made this state stronger.
That’s why we’re supporting Senate Bill 1352—legislation that ensures Arizona remains competitive, where job-creating projects can’t be derailed by special interests, and where companies like Axon don’t have to fight just to build the future.
We’re calling on Arizona legislators to vote YES on SB 1352—to stand up for innovation, opportunity, and the thousands of Arizona workers counting on them.
For thousands of Axon employees, this isn’t about politics—it’s about livelihoods. It’s about families, careers, and futures. These are the people who will design the next generation of public safety tools, who build the technology that protects lives, who have dedicated themselves to something bigger. We will continue to innovate to protect more live in more places, the question at stake, is simply where that will be.
For me, it’s deeply personal.
I started Axon in this state. I raised my family here. I built a company that is relentless in bringing new and fresh solutions to market that I believe have changed history for our country and the world. I want to keep that spirit of innovation alive in Arizona. But I won’t let Arizona become a place where businesses are pushed out, where the next generation of innovators are forced to go elsewhere, where opportunity is traded for political convenience.
We want to build here. We want to invest here. But if we can’t build here, we’ll have no choice but to go somewhere else.
And if Arizona loses Axon, what comes next?
To the community that has supported us for over 30 years, this is a moment of truth for our state. I’m asking you—our employees, our supporters, our fellow community members—to stand with us. Call or write your representatives. Tell them to support SB 1352. Make your voice heard. Because this isn’t just about Axon. It’s about Arizona’s future. Take action now: www.saveazfuture.com