THIS COST US $1.7 BILLION
Feb 8, 2026 · 1:02:31
Colin Angle, iRobot founder, recounts the 33-year journey from MIT's 'artificial insect' lab to the $1.7 billion Amazon acquisition that the FTC blocked, calling it a political move that damaged the innovation economy. He explains how Roomba combined mine-hunting algorithms, industrial cleaning tech, and toy manufacturing, and how a Dave Chappelle Pepsi commercial saved the company from 250,000 unsold units. The FTC's anti-M&A attitude froze iRobot for 18 months, preventing it from adapting to market changes, which ultimately led to bankruptcy. Now he's launching Familiar Machines and Magic to apply AI-powered robotics to elder care and wellness, aiming to build the robots we were promised beyond floor cleaning.
