Shark Tank Rejection To Billion-Dollar Doorbell: Ring’s Ding Dong Drama

KEY POINTS

•Jamie Siminoff appeared on Shark Tank in 2013 with Ring and was not offered a deal.
•He secured Shaquille O’Neal as an investor and sold Ring to Amazon in 2018 for $1 billion.
•After leaving Amazon in 2023, Siminoff returned in 2024 as VP overseeing Ring and smart-home products.
•He advises young people to pursue passion and warns against relying on inherited wealth to stay motivated.

Jamie Siminoff pitched Ring’s video-doorbell on Shark Tank in 2013 and was heroically rejected—because nothing says ‘trustworthy tech’ like a no-sale from millionaire sharks. Undeterred, he snagged Shaquille O’Neal as an investor, probably for height advantage in reaching massive doors, then sold the startup to Amazon for a cool $1 billion in 2018. After five years of corporate bliss, Jamie left only to return in 2024 as Amazon’s VP overseeing Ring and smart-home gizmos, because why settle for success when you can have a confusing mid-career Amazon encore? He also preaches passion over cash, telling his kid not to expect a trust fund; apparently, crippling motivation beats a $100 million safety net. Plus, he’s an angel investor backing ethical meat and vertical farms because who ruins a meal by ignoring plant tech? Jamie’s career reads like tech’s version of a soap opera, but with more doorbells and fewer commercial breaks.