Amazon to acquire Roomba robot vacuum maker iRobot for $1.7 billion

Image: iRobot

iRobot is a maker of robot vacuums. Amazon will acquire iRobot for $65 per share in an all-cash transaction.

Dave is excited to work with the iRobot team to invent ways that make customers lives easier and more enjoyable. Amazon intends to keep Colin Angle as the CEO of iRobot once the deal is finalized and cleared by regulators.

IRobot has sold millions of its popular Roomba vacuums. iRobot launched a platform for its robot vacuums and mops. As the robot cleaning space gets more competitive, the iRobot OS is designed to differentiate Roomba products from competitors with additional software features.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

The synergies with its other smart home products are obvious. The Astro smart home robot was launched by Amazon last year and was described as the love child between a Roomba and an echo show.

The home assistant robot can listen to commands and even recognize faces. It can answer questions, play music, and show you things like the weather, but it isn't mounted to a car.

Amazon has a lot of data in a modern smart home because of the combination of its products. Privacy and Amazon's control over the smart home market will inevitably be questioned.