Amazon to acquire Roomba maker for $1.7B

Robot vacuum cleaners could make sense as part of the Big Tech firm’s product offering

Image by Eduard Reisenhauer from Pixabay (with added black and white filter)

Today, Amazon announced it has agreed to purchase iRobot, the maker of the iconic line of robot vacuum cleaners Roomba.

The Big Tech company will acquire iRobot for $61 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at roughly $1.7 billion (including iRobot’s net debt). As usual, the deal is subject to customary closing conditions.

In the last few years, Amazon has positioned itself as a “smart home” innovator selling a variety of connected devices such as lighting, plugs/switches, cameras, door locks, thermostats, security systems and of course speakers. Adding vacuum cleaners to the equation would therefore make sense.

All connected Roomba and Braava jet devices are already compatible with virtual assistant technology Alexa, giving users hands-free control for vacuuming and mopping. It’s not crazy to think further integrations could happen after the transaction closes.

This story was first published on The PhilaVerse (my Substack newsletter).