FTC Starts Review of $1.7B Amazon-iRobot Deal

The US Federal Trade Commission has begun a review of the $1.7 billion takeover of robot vacuum maker iRobot by Amazon to assess whether the deal has breached antitrust law.

Reuters wrote that the iRobot review is “wide-ranging,” examining both head-to-head competition as well as whether the deal would illegally bolster Amazon’s market share in the connected device market as well as the general retail market.

The company announced the iRobot deal in August. The popular Roomba robot vacuum is iRobot’s flagship product.

Amazon has expanded its devices lineup with speakers, home security doorbells, cameras and more. With iRobot, Amazon could add another powerhouse to its connected devices array.

PYMNTS wrote about Amazon’s iRobot acquisition last month, when Amazon Devices Senior Vice President Dave Limp said a benefit of services like iRobot’s is to help people save time.

“We know that saving time matters, and chores take precious time that can be better spent doing something that customers love,” he said. “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.”

The report noted that Colin Angle will stay as the CEO of iRobot, and he said Amazon “shares our passion” for building new innovations for people at home.

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