Amazon said on Monday that it was abandoning plans to buy iRobot, the maker of the self-driving Roomba vacuum, after regulators raised concerns the deal would hurt competition.
antitrust regulators warned Amazon that they might try to block the deal because it could restrict competition in the market for robot vacuum cleaners.
The Federal Trade Commission was also scrutinizing the deal.
Amazon, which will pay iRobot a $94 million termination fee, said in a statement that “disproportionate regulatory hurdles” caused it to step away from the deal, which was first announced in 2022.
IRobot’s products, which also include robotic mops and air purifiers, were to join a growing list of connected home products made by Amazon, including Ring home security systems and Echo smart speakers.
Organizations:
Amazon, Foods, MGM Studios, European Union, Federal Trade Commission
Locations:
E.U