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EU Watchdog Set To Probe Amazon’s $1.7 Billion Roomba Deal

By  |  February 15, 2023

The European Commission is set to probe Amazon’s $1.7 billion purchase of Roomba-maker iRobot, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
According to the FT, Brussels has sent Amazon a series of detailed questions over the proposed deal, in a move that indicates that they are gearing up for a formal probe.

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    The US FTC is currently scrutinizing the deal over concerns it would increase Amazon’s market power in the home electronics sector, EU Investigators have privacy concerns.
    “EU officials are trying to determine how important this deal is to Amazon and how it might use it to combine data it already gathers with Alexa [the company’s voice assistant technology] to gain a competitive advantage,” said a person with direct knowledge of the EU’s concerns.

    Read more: NGOs Say EU Amazon Antitrust Probe Has Many Issues

    The company announced the iRobot deal in August. The popular Roomba robot vacuum is iRobot’s flagship product. “Amazon shares our passion for building thoughtful innovations that empower people to do more at home, and I cannot think of a better place for our team to continue our mission,” Angle said in the press release.

    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.