Amazon to acquire iRobot for $1.7Bn

Amazon will be acquiring Global consumer robot company iRobot for $1.7 billion in an all-cash deal. On completion of the transaction, Colin Angle will remain as CEO of iRobot. iRobot has sold millions of robots worldwide for cleaning, mapping and navigation, and has introduced the first Roomba robot vacuum in 2002.

The deal will deepen Amazon’s presence in consumer robotics. Last year, Amazon unveiled the Astro home robot, a device that is equipped with the company’s Alexa digital assistant and can follow consumers around their homes.

Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices, said, “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.”

Colin Angle, Chairman and CEO of iRobot said, “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. 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.”