The CEO and founder of Ring is facing a backlash after claiming that missing Nancy Guthrie would have already been found if more people bought his products.
Jamie Siminoff, 49, who founded the connected doorbell maker in 2011, made the remarks in an interview discussing the company’s cooperation with cops investigating the disappearance.
Guthrie vanished from her home in the early hours of February 1 in what is now being investigated as a kidnapping.
As the desperate manhunt has entered its second month, law enforcement has still come up short in finding the 84-year-old, who is the TV host Savannah Guthrie’s mother.
Arguably, the biggest break in the case came 10 days into the search, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that they had recovered lost surveillance camera footage from a Nest camera on Nancy’s front door.
‘I do believe if they had more of it, if there was more cameras on the house, I think we might, you know, have solved [the case],’ Siminoff said in an interview with Fortune.
Siminoff added that the recovered surveillance camera footage appeared to be the best evidence law enforcement has.
‘The Nancy Guthrie thing has shown just how important video and more video would be in a case like this,’ he continued.

Ring CEO Jamie Siminoff, pictured above in 2018, said that video surveillance from Nancy’s home appeared to be the best evidence law enforcement has

FBI Director Kash Patel said on February 10 that investigators uncovered footage of a masked individual approaching Nancy’s home in the early hours of her disappearance

Nancy Guthrie, pictured here with her daughter, Today show host Savannah Guthrie, in 2015, has been missing since February 1
The CEO added that the case highlighted the importance of surveillance footage, telling Fortune: ‘I think this is just another example of how important it is to have video at your house, to be able to have systems like Ring.’
Siminoff revealed that Ring has been involved in community alerts and recovered footage of a suspicious car two and a half miles away from Nancy’s residence in Tucson.
When deputies with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department initially responded to Nancy’s disappearance, they discovered that her front doorbell camera had been disabled, and there was blood on the door.
Nancy owned a Nest device, which is owned by Google; however, she did not have a subscription, so the overnight footage did not save.
However, the FBI later announced that they recovered the lost surveillance, which revealed a masked man approaching her doorstep on the night she disappeared.
Ring also operates on a subscription model. The cheapest plan costs $4.99 a month for video recordings, smart alerts, and up to 180 days of playback.
Siminoff’s comments to Fortune were scrutinized online, with many criticizing the CEO for pushing ‘universal mass surveillance’.
‘There are camera systems including doorbells that are on NVR systems. You and only you can view YOUR video. Includes no subscription fee. Ring and services like it are expensive and intrusive. Keep it simple. Keep it safe for your family. F these companies that all want to have you pay them monthly especially to create a product (your data) for their benefit, another comment suggested.
‘The CEO of a monitoring company is hoping more people BUY a monitoring product. Why are we surprised by this?’ a third wrote.

Siminoff, pictured above, said Nancy’s case serves as a reminder of how important it is to have surveillance cameras outside your home

The surveillance camera footage took days to recover because Nancy did not have a Nest camera subscription, and the device was disabled when authorities first searched the home. A still from the suspect is pictured above
Siminoff initially pitched Ring, then called Doorbot, to Shark Tank investors in 2013 but failed to secure an investment. He later rebranded and sold the company to Amazon for about $1 billion.
Siminoff previously spoke about the case to the hosts of The Bottom Line on Fox Business.
He explained that if a Ring user deletes a recording or does not have a subscription, the footage is not stored.
Nancy lives in the suburban neighborhood of Catalina Foothills. Her mansion is far from the road, and surveillance camera footage from her neighbors did not capture any significant leads on the night of her disappearance.
The lack of video proved to be a challenge for investigators in the first days of the case.
The Guthrie case has captivated the nation over the last month. Ransom notes sent to TMZ and local Arizona outlets have complicated the case and heightened fears for Nancy’s safety.
Nancy’s family has warned that the 84-year-old also has health concerns and relies on daily medication to survive.
Her pacemaker disconnected from her Apple Watch around 2am on the night she disappeared, leading investigators to believe she was snatched from her home in the early hours of the morning.

Luke Daley, 37, pictured above, was detained for hours in the back of a Pima County Sheriff’s Department vehicle on February 13 in connection with Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance
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The massive search for Nancy, pictured above with Savannah in 2020, has surpassed one month
Since the investigation began, there have been sparks of hope that ultimately led to dead ends.
A SWAT team was seen descending on a nearby residence on February 13 and detained multiple individuals in connection with the case. That same night, authorities combed a grey Range Rover.
However, all the individuals were released, and the massive police presence did not result in any arrests.
Luke Daley, 37, who was driving the Range Rover, told True Crime Arizona in an interview on Monday that he still does not know why he was involved in the case.
‘I, like everyone else, just want Nancy to come home and be safe,’ he said.
‘But that being said, I have nothing to do with this case,’ Daley insisted, adding that he did not know who may be involved and would tell investigators if he did.
Daley said he was stopped by two sheriff’s vehicles and detained in the back of a cop car for hours.
He added that he was released after officers conducted DNA testing and returned home to find officers raiding the residence where he lived with his 77-year-old mother.
Sheriff Nanos told NBC News earlier this week that his department is still pursuing thousands of leads and working to bring Nancy home.

The Guthrie family has issued several public pleas for information leading to their mother’s return. Savannah (right) is pictured above with her sister Annie (left), and brother-in-law Tommaso Cioni, visiting a tribute to their mother on Monday

Investigators struggled to locate helpful surveillance camera footage at the start of the search. Nancy’s home is located in a rural neighborhood, pictured above
Nanos said that authorities were aware of new Ring camera footage of vehicles driving through Nancy’s neighborhood on the night she disappeared.
‘We’re looking at that vehicle as well as hundreds of thousands of other vehicles that were out driving that time of day,’ he added.
The sheriff said that authorities have information on the case that they have not shared with the public.
‘There’s so much that everybody wants to know, but I would be very neglectful, irresponsible as a police, law enforcement leader, to share that with everybody,’ he continued.
‘We have information on this case that we think is going to hopefully lead us to solving this case. But it takes time.’


