Today we announced that TASER International formally changed its name to Axon. The TASER name has become synonymous with iconic, less-lethal weapons, and we're very proud of that. Today, the company’s portfolio has grown to encompass a much wider range of technologies, including a rich ecosystem of connected devices and software applications. We're changing our name to reflect the evolution of our company from a weapons manufacturer to a full solutions provider of cloud and mobile software, connected devices, wearable cameras, and now artificial intelligence--all of which falls under the Axon brand. TASER will remain one of our flagship products, but now as a single focused product brand for our suite of Smart Weapons. 

Ready to Go

We're more focused than ever on our mission to protect life, and we have some big goals and plans for the remainder of 2017 to help us fulfill it. At last year's International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference (IACP) we announced plans to create a Records Management System (RMS). RMS is the center of information management in policing and today is incredibly poorly served from a technology perspective. By rethinking RMS, we believe we can eliminate the massive amount of time officers spend doing paperwork today and effectively triple the amount of time officers spend on the streets. We envision a future where multimedia is the central component of an RMS system, and think video will transform the way agencies report and manage information. 

We've also created a new group called Axon Artificial Intelligence (AI), the result of two recent acquisitions. Our intention is to bring AI to public safety the same way we introduced the cloud with Evidence.com. AI will change how our customers interact with our software and enable new levels of automation and insights. Initially this team will be focused on near-term problems like redaction and video analytics, but the AI capabilities will be foundational technology incorporated into all of our products moving forward. 

On top of that, we continue to build on our existing set of devices and applications. Evidence.com has more powerful capabilities than ever. Already this year we've seen advanced skin blur redaction technology, multi-cam playback, and new security features. Add that to the device launches like Axon Flex 2 and Signal Sidearm, and it's shaping up to be a momentous 2017.

The Team to Beat

Our goals for this year pale in comparison to our long-term vision of making the bullet obsolete and tripling the time officers spend serving their communities. But we can't build the preeminent technology company in public safety without the right team in place to get us there. We've rounded out our leadership team with key hires in recent weeks, and are relentless about upholding our values when bringing on new talent in roles throughout the company. We feel supremely confident that we have the right people to take us where we want to go. 

In fact, you'll be hearing from some of them soon. We're kicking off a blog series with voices from around the company who will share their thoughts on topics ranging from recruiting great talent, to designing products for the *24th* century and to exploring what it means to call a CEW “safe”. We look forward to introducing you to some of our best and brightest.

Onward

Our company's first chapter as TASER International has come to a close. If our next 23 years are anything like the first, we're in for an amazing ride, and have an incredible opportunity to make a positive, lasting impact on the world. 

Thank you for your support, and stay safe. 

- Rick Smith
Axon CEO & Founder