Amazon has announced it will acquire iRobot, the maker of robot vacuum cleaners, for $1.7 billion.
iRobot is a popular maker of robot vacuum cleaners, using LiDAR and other technology to effortlessly navigate the home or office, vacuuming all the nooks and crannies, so you don’t have to. Amazon sees the company as a natural fit for its existing lineup of home products and plans to scoop it up for roughly $1.7 billion.
“We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love,” said Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices. “Over many years, the iRobot team has proven its ability to reinvent how people clean with products that are incredibly practical and inventive—from cleaning when and where customers want while avoiding common obstacles in the home, to automatically emptying the collection bin. Customers love iRobot products—and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent in ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable.”
iRobot also sees the deal as a natural fit, one that will give the company the resources and backing to expand its products and services even more.
“Since we started iRobot, our team has been on a mission to create innovative, practical products that make customers’ lives easier, leading to inventions like the Roomba and iRobot OS,” said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “Amazon shares our passion for building thoughtful innovations that empower people to do more at home, and I cannot think of a better place for our team to continue our mission. I’m hugely excited to be a part of Amazon and to see what we can build together for customers in the years ahead.”
One of iRobot’s defining characteristics is how easy it is to service the devices and replace worn-out parts. The company went to great lengths to design its robots so even a non-technical novice could easily and intuitively maintain and repair the devices. Hopefully, Amazon will leave that hallmark feature intact.
