IRobot Roomba 695

Amazon called off its proposed acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot on Monday as the deal faced antitrust scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, with the ecommerce giant blaming undue and disproportionate regulatory hurdles. The companies said in joint statement that they entered into a mutual agreement to terminate their announced acquisition agreement and expressed disappointment. Amazon's announced in 2022 that it would buy iRobot, maker of the circular-shaped Roomba vacuum, for $1.7 billion in cash. But the value of the deal fell 15% after iRobot incurred new debt. Amazon will pay the Bedford, Massachusetts-based company a previously agreed termination fee, which wasn't disclosed in the statement Monday. The same day, iRobot announced that it would now lay off about 31% of its staff and its CEO would depart. The European Commission, the European Union's executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, had informed Amazon last year of its preliminary view that the acquisition of t

Puresight Systems, the exclusive distributor of iRobot products in India, on Tuesday launched the robot vacuum and mop 'Roomba Combo j7+', powered by iRobot OS intelligence, in the country

The acquisition of iRobot would not disadvantage Amazon's rival 'smart home' platforms

British antitrust regulators have started investigating Amazon's purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot, adding further scrutiny to the $1.7 billion deal. The Competition and Markets Authority said Thursday that it's considering whether the deal will result in a substantial lessening of competition within the United Kingdom. In an initial step, the U.K. watchdog invited comments on the deal from any interested party. The acquisition is already facing a review in the U.S. by the Federal Trade Commission amid worries about Amazon's growing market power. Consumer groups had voiced concerns after the deal was announced last year that it would further the e-commerce giant's dominance in the smart home market. Amazon said it's working cooperatively with the relevant regulators in their review of the merger. Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot, which makes the popular Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners, said it continues to work cooperatively with both the U.S. FTC and other regulatory agencie

EU regulators have sent the e-commerce giant a series of detailed questions over the proposed transaction, indicating that they are gearing up for a formal probe, the report said

Robot vacuum cleaner maker iRobot has announced to cut around 7 per cent of its workforce or about 85 employees.

The ability to operate the Roomba 695 robot from remote locations makes it a unique proposition