Retail giant Amazon will acquire Roomba robot sweeper maker iRobot in a deal valued at $1.7 billion, the two companies announced on Friday. Amazon will acquire iRobot for $61 per share in an all-cash deal.
The deal won’t be closed until it receives shareholder approval and a regulatory green light. iRobot CEO Colin Angle will continue to run the company if the deal goes through.
iRobot was founded at MIT in 1990 and is a global consumer robot company that designs and builds robots and intelligent home innovations. iRobot introduced the first Roomba robot vacuum in 2002.
“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, chairman and CEO of iRobot. “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.”
It will mark Amazon’s fourth largest deal to date, behind its $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods, its $8.45 billion purchase of MGM, and its $3.9 billion acquisition of primary card provider One Medical.