Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Two decades after igniting the market for… Robot vacuums In homes, iRobot has Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, best known for its Roomba robot vacuums, entered the filing late Sunday night after months of warning signs and financial pressure.
Under the proposed restructuring, iRobot will be acquired by its main manufacturing partner, China-based Shenzhen Picea Robotics.
The company said it will continue to offer robots and Smart home appliances For consumers.
Massachusetts-based iRobot, which launched the first Roomba in 2002, has been synonymous with the category it helped invent. But years of installation Robot vacuum competitionespecially from Chinese brands such as Ecovacs and Roborock, have eroded their market share.
The attempted lifeline came in the form of Amazon acquisition in 2022which promised to strengthen iRobot’s position in the smart home field. However, that deal was ultimately scuttled by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic, leaving iRobot to fend for itself amid fierce competition.
In response, iRobot revamped its product line and worked with Picea to bring newer models to market, while also lowering prices to remain competitive. Despite these efforts, the company continued to decline. US tariffs Didn’t help.
Don’t miss any of our unbiased technical content and lab reviews. Add CNET As Google’s preferred source.
What does iRobot’s bankruptcy mean for you?
The acquisition by Picea, a contract manufacturer that already builds several iRobot products, is intended to allow operations to continue without interruption.
“Today’s announcement represents a pivotal milestone in securing iRobot’s long-term future,” iRobot CEO Gary Cohen said in a statement Sunday. “This transaction will strengthen our financial position and will help bring continuity to our clients, customers and partners.”
But while iRobot products remain on sale through major retailers including Amazon and Best buyWhether you should still buy one, in light of the bankruptcy filing, is a complicated question.
“This will make potential buyers wonder whether to add one to their cleaning arsenal despite the company’s promise to continue operating without interruption,” said CNET shopping expert Adam Oram. “I wouldn’t advise shoppers to rule out a Roomba based on this news alone, as many discounted Roomba offers still offer great value even if the longevity of the product remains unknown.”
Oram notes that iRobot products are highly rated among users.
But the history of the smart home isn’t full of happy endings. Support can disappear quickly when corporate ownership changes, and even well-intentioned promises can be lost in the restructuring process.
So yes, you can still buy a Roomba, and in the short term, it will probably work just fine. But if you’re shopping for a robot vacuum with years of app updates and new features in mind, you might want to take a look at Rumba alternatives One of the brands with the clearest future. Oram suggested Roborock, Ecovacs and Eufy in particular.
iRobot, founded in 1990, says it plans to stay in the game for the long term.
“By combining iRobot’s innovation, consumer-oriented design, and R&D with Picea’s history of innovation, manufacturing, and technical expertise, we believe iRobot will be well-equipped to shape the next era of smart home robots,” Cohen said in a company statement.