Amazon announces acquisition of domestic tech company iRobot

Amazon will be acquiring iRobot - a developer of domestic cleaning technology, such as the Roomba vacuum - in a purchase costing around $1.7bn

Amazon and iRobot have now signed a definitibe merger agreement, which will see Amazon acquire the consumer technology developer. 

The acquisition agreement came in at $61 per share, and the total transaction has been valued at around $1.7bn. 

“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.”

“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, the Chairman and CEO of iRobot (who will remain as iRobot’s CEO after the acquisition is completed). 

“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.”

About iRobot

iRobot is a global consumer robot company. It was founded in 1990, as the brainchild of three MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab members. 

Since then, it has sold millions of robots across the world, with its most famous inventions including the first Roomba robot vacuum and Braava robot mop.

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