BOLDLY GO
Podcast Description
BOLDLY GO is the podcast where big ideas meet the future of public safety. Hosted by Axon Founder and CEO Rick Smith and former Seattle PD COO Mike Wagers, each episode explores the transformative tech, visionary leaders, and pioneering ventures shaping tomorrow. Hear unfiltered conversations with the innovators redefining what’s possible—because the future doesn’t wait.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast covers transformative technologies in public safety, the evolution of law enforcement practices, and interviews with leading figures in the field, with episodes discussing TASER origins, cutting-edge training practices, and the impact of innovative tools on policing.
The Boldly Go Podcast is where big ideas meet the future of public safety. Hosted by Axon Founder and CEO Rick Smith and former Seattle PD Chief Operating Officer Mike Wagers, each episode explores the transformative tech, visionary leaders, and pioneering ventures shaping tomorrow. Hear unfiltered conversations with the innovators redefining what’s possible—because the future doesn’t wait.
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 more TASER patents than anyone on the planet. Max shares the untold “Wild West” history behind the M26 and X26 — from testing prototypes in his garage to out-innovating PhDs who thought they knew more.
You’ll hear the story of a parking-lot confrontation with a patent lawyer trying to shake the company down — and why TASER 7 remains one of Max’s favorite designs.
Oh — and since the statute of limitations has passed, you’ll also hear about a roadside encounter with a deer.
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