Rick Smith is an American businessman, the founder and CEO of taser maker Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ: AXON).

He founded the company as TASER International in 1993 and took it public on the Nasdaq in 2001. Smith became a billionaire due to a hefty performance-based stock option package (equaling an 8% stake in Axon) he was awarded in 2018.

• Core Company: Axon Enterprise (Taser and technology solutions).
• Founding: Founded the company as TASER International in 1993.
• Incentive: Became a billionaire through a performance-based stock option package awarded in 2018.

Rick Smith's career is defined by his innovation in law enforcement technology, initially focusing on non-lethal weapons (tasers) and later expanding into body cameras and software solutions. His structural contribution is tied to building a company that achieved a major market capitalization, soaring to more than $40 billion at the end of March 2025.

He still owns 4% of the company after exercising and selling nearly half of his options for an estimated $200 million after-tax. The company's market cap was up more than 600% from five years earlier as of March 2025.

• Valuation: Axon had a market cap of more than $40 billion at the end of March 2025.