Amazon buys iRobot, maker of Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners

Amazon announced the purchase of the famous robot vacuum cleaner manufacturer iRobot.

Details

According to Amazon,

the deal cost the company $1.7 billion—$61 per share. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of iRobot shareholders and regulatory authorities.

Under the terms of the signed agreement, Colin Angle will remain CEO of iRobot.

“Since we launched iRobot, our teamhas made it its mission to create innovative, practical products that make customers' lives easier, leading to inventions such as the Roomba and iRobot OS, said Colin Engle (pictured). “Amazon shares our passion for creating thoughtful innovations that enable people to do more at home, and I can’t think of a better place for our team to continue our mission.” I'm excited to be a part of Amazon and to see what we can create together for customers in the coming years."

As a reminder, iRobot was founded in 1990year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the first model of the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner was introduced in 2002. In addition to household assistants, the company also created the first Micro Rover robots used by NASA, built the first ground robots used by the US military in conflicts, and introduced the first self-navigating remote presence robot to receive FDA approval for hospitals.

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