Roomba maker hit with layoffs as Amazon calls off $1.7 billion cash deal

Mon, 01/29/2024 - 10:52

An iRobot Roomba 980 vacuum cleaning robot is presented during a presentation in Tokyo, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. — Amazon called off its $1.7 billion bid to buy iRobot, maker of the Roomba.
AP/Eugene Hoshiko

Amazon dropped a bid to purchase iRobot on Monday, citing regulatory hurdles in the US and EU.
The ecommerce giant had agreed to buy the Roomba vacuum maker in 2022 for $1.7 billion.
As part of a restructuring plan, iRobot says it will lay off 350 workers and change its CEO.

Amazon called off its proposed acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot on Monday as the deal faced antitrust scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, with the ecommerce giant blaming "undue and disproportionate regulatory hurdles."