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☆ Amazon terminates iRobot deal, vacuum maker to lay off 31% of staff
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Amazon.com Inc.'s proposed $1.7 billion deal to buy robot vacuum firm iRobot Corp. was given the all-clear by the UKs antitrust agency. The vacuum maker also announced it would lay off 31% of its employees, around 350 people, and that its chair and CEO Colin Angle would step down effective immediately. The fate of the deal was plunged into uncertainty after The Wall Street Journal reported that the European Union would not offer regulatory approval. The robotic vacuum maker has a market capitalization of under $400 million, following Monday's news and prior reports that the European Union would move to block the deal. In July, iRobot entered into a $200 million financing facility to fund its operations as a stopgap until the deal closed.

Persons: Sophie Park, Colin Angle, iRobot, We're, David Zapolsky, Angle Organizations: Amazon.com Inc, iRobot Corp, Bloomberg, Getty, Street Journal, European Union, Amazon, European Commission Locations: Bedford , Massachusetts

☆ Roomba maker hit with layoffs as Amazon calls off $1.7 billion cash deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Amazon's announced in 2022 that it would buy iRobot, maker of the circular-shaped Roomba vacuum, for $1.7 billion in cash. Amazon will pay the Bedford, Massachusetts-based company a previously agreed termination fee, which wasn't disclosed in the statement Monday. AdvertisementThe European Commission, the European Union's executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, had informed Amazon last year of its "preliminary view" that the acquisition of the robot vacuum maker would be anticompetitive. Now that the deal has been called off, iRobot said it will undergo a restructuring plan designed to stabilize the company.

Persons: —, Amazon's, wasn't, iRobot, David Zapolsky, Colin Angle, Glen Weinstein Organizations: Service, Business, Amazon, European Commission, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Bedford , Massachusetts, U.S

LONDON (AP) — Amazon called off its purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot on Monday, blaming “undue and disproportionate regulatory hurdles" after the European Union signaled its objection to the deal. The deal faced antitrust scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, but most strongly in Europe, where regulators investigating competition concerns were expected to issue a final decision by Feb. 14. Amazon announced in 2022 that it would buy iRobot, maker of the circular-shaped Roomba vacuum, for $1.7 billion in cash. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesWhile British antitrust regulators cleared the purchase in June, it also still faced scrutiny in the U.S. by the Federal Trade Commission. This is the latest example of a deal involving U.S. companies that fell apart after facing scrutiny from European regulators.

Persons: iRobot, David Zapolsky, Amazon’s, Colin Angle, Glen Weinstein, Haleluya Hadero Organizations: European Union, Amazon, European Commission, Federal Trade Commission, U.S, Adobe, Biotech, ___ AP Locations: European, Europe, Bedford , Massachusetts, U.S, EU, New York

☆ Amazon and Roomba maker call off acquisition deal, iRobot lays off staff instead
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Amazon and iRobot, the maker of the popular Roomba vacuum, mutually called off their estimated $1.7 billion acquisition deal Monday, citing numerous regulatory hurdles. Amazon (AMZN), which was up about 0.5% in noon trading, will pay iRobot a previously agreed-upon $94 million cancellation fee. IRobot said the restructuring plan, impacting around 350 employees, is intended to save the company up to $150 million. In November, the European Commission said the deal could hamper competition in the robot vacuum sector. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the European Commission planned to block the deal.

Persons: iRobot, Colin Angle, Glen Weinstein, IRobot, “, ” Andrew Miller, iRobot’s, ” David Zapolsky, Lina Khan, ”, Meta Organizations: CNN, European, Federal Trade, European Union, European Commission, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, Federal Trade Commission, Commission, Amazon . Tech, Adobe, EU, UK, Nvidia, UK’s Competition, Markets Authority, Activision Blizzard, CMA Locations: Europe

☆ Amazon lowers iRobot deal price by 15% after Roomba maker incurs fresh debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 25 (Reuters) - Amazon.com (AMZN.O) has slashed the price it will pay for iRobot (IRBT.O) by about 15% to around $1.42 billion after the maker of Roomba vacuum cleaners incurred fresh debt, the companies said on Tuesday. Under the amended deal, Amazon will pay $51.75 in cash for each share of iRobot, compared with the original price of $61.00. The deal price change will be largely offset by the planned increase in iRobot's net debt after it entered a $200 million financing facility to fund its operations, the companies said. "We've reached an amended agreement with Amazon that reflects the incurrence of iRobot's new debt," said Colin Angle, chairman and CEO of iRobot. Amazon and iRobot said on Tuesday they were working with the relevant regulators in their review of the merger.

Persons: We've, Colin Angle, iRobot, Aditya Soni, Shounak Dasgupta Organizations: iRobot, Amazon, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Europe

☆ UK clears Amazon's $1.7 billion deal for Roomba-maker iRobot
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

June 16 (Reuters) - Britain's competition regulator on Friday cleared Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) planned $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot Corp (IRBT.O), maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had concluded that the deal would not lead to competition concerns in the UK. "We're pleased with the UK Competition and Markets Authority's decision and are committed to supporting regulatory bodies in their work," a spokesperson for Amazon said. The news sent shares in U.S-listed iRobot up 12% in pre-market trade, while Amazon's stock was marginally down. EU antitrust regulators will decide by July 6 whether to clear the deal, while the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also examining the acquisition.

Persons: We're, Colin Angle, Eva Mathews, Devika Syamnath, Jason Neely Organizations: Amazon.com, iRobot Corp, Markets Authority, Competition, Amazon, CMA, Regulators, Big Tech, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

March 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. International Trade Commission said on Tuesday it would ban imports of SharkNinja Operating LLC robot vacuums that infringe a patent owned by Roomba maker iRobot Corp (IRBT.O). The full commission upheld part of a trade judge's October decision that SharkNinja violated two of its rival's patents, affirming that SharkNinja's devices mimicked iRobot navigation technology. Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot filed the ITC complaint in 2021 along with a lawsuit against SharkNinja in Boston federal court. Another patent lawsuit iRobot brought against SharkNinja in 2019 has also been paused during related proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The ITC case is In the Matter of Certain Robotic Floor Cleaning Devices and Components Thereof, U.S. International Trade Commission, No.

☆ Roomba says leaked pictures including one of a woman on the toilet were taken by test vacuums, not purchased ones
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Robot vacuum maker iRobot confirmed that sensitive images leaked online were taken by its devices. Roomba said the images, including one of a woman on the toilet, were taken only by test units. The images were leaked by Venezuelan contractors who worked with iRobot, MIT Tech Review reported. But images from that data got leaked to Facebook, Discord and other social sites, MIT Tech Review reported and iRobot confirmed to Insider. Experts who have spoken to labelers told MIT Tech Review that they found the work "really uncomfortable."

☆ Amazon dominates the $113 billion smart home market — here's how it uses the data it collects
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Katie Schoolov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Then in 2019, it paid $97 million for a mesh Wi-Fi system called Eero to help connect multiple smart devices in the home. Amazon's Eero mesh WiFi systems are shown inside the Amazon smart lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022. Amazon's Ring Video Doorbell 4 is shown at the Amazon smart home lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022. Or you may have actually told Alexa, 'Alexa, I'm leaving,' and to switch on your alarm system, for example," Koopmans said. Amazon's Smart Thermostat is shown inside the Amazon smart lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022.

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