Axon Enterprise - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

Axon Enterprise is Medium Risk.

Axon Enterprise is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	High Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Axon integrates DEI into its supply chain. From its press release: “We will seek to do business with suppliers that embody the same commitment to diversity and inclusion – Starting immediately we will change our RFP and supplier/vendor selection process to identify minority-owned businesses and add a weighting factor to our awards so all selections take this into account and actively encourage diversity as we seek to support minority-owned businesses” (1). Axon has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Axon does not discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Axon requires its employees to take unconscious bias training (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its hiring and promotion. From its press release: “Hiring – We will be reviewing our hiring practices and standing up a dedicated team focused on improving our Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) hiring strategy and increasing diversity within the recruiting funnel.

Promotion – We will track and evaluate D&I data as part of all performance and compensation reviews going forward to ensure that we are driving a fair and inclusive environment throughout all levels of Axon” (2). However, in 2025, the company removed DEI training, language, and policies from its Annual Report and website. To date, the company has not publicly addressed these changes, leaving shareholders without clarity regarding the company’s reasoning or future direction (3)(4). Axon does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (5).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Axon supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2023 Annual Report: “Our hardware and software solutions advance our long-term strategic vision of (i) obsoleting the bullet, (ii) reducing social conflict, (iii) enabling a fair and effective justice system, and (iv) building for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our products solve some of society’s most challenging problems and our mission attracts top talent. We aim to invent and deliver public safety products that progressively make the right things easier and the wrong things harder every day” (1). Axon released a public statement on being anti-racist and fighting systemic racism following the death of George Floyd (2). The company participated in Pride parades and other pride celebrations in the month of June and hosted an educational brunch on LGBTQ+ issues (3). Axon offers educational opportunities on LGBTQIA+ history, rights, and conversations to all its employees (4)(5). However, in 2024, the company removed DEI language and policies from its Annual report. To date, the company has not publicly addressed these changes, leaving shareholders without clarity regarding the company’s reasoning or future direction (6).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Axon has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Axon lobbied for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 and 2021, which seeks to address “systemic racism” in law enforcement (1)(2). Axon does not operate a PAC at this time (3)(4).