AsAmazonhas grown, it has continued to gobble up smaller companies along the way. From Whole Foods to Twitch, it’s become increasingly difficult to get away from the company in everyday life. Now, your robot vacuum may soon become associated with the Amazon name, too — but the European Commission (EC) wants to have a word with the company before any moves are made.
TheEC has releaseda statement, explaining concerns it has surrounding Amazon’s intention to acquire iRobot, the robot vacuum company, in a deal worth $1.7 billion. According to regulators, the acquisition could stifle competition in the robot vacuum market. Their claims are based on an investigation that was launched in July 2023 — it was opened specifically to look into how the acquisition could impact the industry.
In the end, the EC’s investigation drew several conclusions, one of which was that Amazon could prevent competitors from selling vacuums in its marketplace. The investigation also concluded that Amazon would have an incentive to reduce competition to gain profit. In a statement toThe Verge, a company spokesperson explained that Amazon’s acquisition could help innovate iRobot products and lower consumer prices. The EC is set to make a final decision on the looming deal by August 05, 2025.
US regulators have alreadytaken a closer lookat Amazon’s bid to purchase iRobot. In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission asked for “additional information and documentary materials” from both companies. Since Amazon’s intention to acquire iRobot went public, many have voiced privacy concerns as well. For example, robot vacuums often retain data to better serve their users, but it’s unclear how it will be protected post-acquisition.
Amazon originallyannounced its $1.7 billion acquisitionplans in 2022, noting that iRobot’s CEO, Colin Angle, would be staying on board. However, it was not specified if iRobot OS would continue to be updated. It’s possible that Amazon could play a more significant role on the consumer-facing side of the iRobot business — this would mean that even seemingly small decisions to alter the robots’ OS, for instance, could impact how users deploy the device.
Whether you already own an iRobot vacuum or you are thinking of investing in one, this deal could potentially impact the value of your purchase. Depending on how Amazon chooses to manage user data and privacy, for example, you may be less inclined to use such a device. Pricing and feature changes could also deter you from buying an iRobot vacuum in the future. That being said, the acquisition has not become final just yet. There is still time for the deal to be altered — or scrapped — altogether.
