Amazon to acquire iRobot developed by robot vacuum cleaner 'Rumba' for about 230 billion yen

Amazon announced at 8:00 on August 5, 2022 (Eastern Standard Time) that it had signed a contract to acquire iRobot , which develops the robot vacuum cleaner `` Roomba '', for about $ 1.7 billion (about 230 billion yen).

Amazon and iRobot sign an agreement for Amazon to acquire iRobot
https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-and-irobot-sign-an-agreement-for-amazon-to-acquire-irobot

Amazon and iRobot sign an agreement for Amazon to acquire iRobot - Aug 5, 2022
https://media.irobot.com/2022-08-05-Amazon-and-iRobot-sign-an-agreement-for-Amazon-to-acquire-iRobot

The purchase price proposed by Amazon is about $ 1.7 billion including iRobot's net debt. Amazon says it will trade $61 per share (about 8200 yen) in full cash. iRobot has already agreed to and signed a deal to acquire Amazon, and the transaction is subject to approval by iRobot's shareholders and regulatory authorities.

iRobot is a company founded by members of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. iRobot initially developed a toy robot and entered the toy market, but sales were poor, and in 2002 it released the robot vacuum cleaner Roomba, making it known to the world as a company that opened up a new market for robot vacuum cleaners. became.

GIGAZINE has covered the iRobot headquarters office in the past, and you can read the situation from the following article.

I went to the US headquarters of iRobot, the forefront of the robot business, and interviewed the site of research and development - GIGAZINE

In addition to Rumba, iRobot has developed flooring cleaning robots Scuba and Brava , as well as military robots for a while. Military robots and toy robots developed by iRobot can be seen in the following articles.

From military reconnaissance machines to children's toys to 'Rumba' prototypes, robots made by iRobot are all available - GIGAZINE

On the other hand, Amazon is also developing robots, and in September 2021, it announced 'Astro', a home monitoring robot.

Amazon new product announcement summary such as Alexa-equipped home watching robot 'Astro' and children's device 'Amazon Glow' - GIGAZINE

'Since the introduction of Roomba in 2002, iRobot has delighted customers with every generation of products, saving them valuable time that would otherwise be spent on household chores,' said Dave Limp, senior vice president of Amazon Devices. We know that saving time is important and that household chores take up precious time, so our customers can spend the time they save doing something else.'

'Amazon shares our passion for building thoughtful innovations that enable people to do more at home, and we are committed to our mission,' said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. I can't think of a better place to continue than Amazon, and I'm very much looking forward to being part of Amazon and building innovation together for our customers in the years to come.'