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iRobot Founder Blames Chinese Competition For Roomba Bankruptcy As Picea Robotics Set To Take Over US Household Robotics Icon

Benzinga · 2d ago

iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ:IRBT), the maker of the Roomba robotic vacuum, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week, with co-founder Colin Angle blaming intense competition from Chinese rivals and failed regulatory approvals for accelerating the company's downfall.

Chinese Robot Vacuum Makers Gained Protected Advantage

Angle, who co-founded iRobot in 1990 at MIT's Artificial Intelligence Lab, said on The New York Times' Hard Fork podcast that Chinese competitors had access to a domestic market iRobot could not penetrate, reported Fortune.

"It's certainly the advent of this new type of competitor, the Chinese fast follower who had access to the Chinese marketplace, which iRobot effectively did not," Angle said.

He added, "I also think that the marketplace was not a level playing field."

Roomba became a household name after launching in 2002 and helped pioneer consumer robotics.

iRobot's revenue peaked at nearly $1.6 billion in 2021, but Chinese brands such as Roborock steadily gained market share as China promoted domestic manufacturers through incentives and consumer discounts.

Failed Amazon Acquisition Added Pressure To iRobot's Finances

Angle also pointed to the collapse of Amazon's proposed $1.7 billion acquisition of iRobot, which regulators blocked over antitrust concerns.

The deal was abandoned in early 2024. "It's a cage match, and it certainly got hard, and it got increasingly competitive," Angle said.

Following the bankruptcy filing, iRobot will be acquired by China-based Picea Robotics, its primary manufacturer and lender.

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Musk Praises Unitree Robots As China Gains AI Edge

Last week, Elon Musk praised Chinese-made Unitree robots after videos showed them performing flips and synchronized dance routines with singer Wang Leehom at a Chengdu concert, calling the display "impressive" and highlighting rapid advances in robotics.

In May, Chinese robotics company Unitree sold about 23,700 low-cost robot dogs, enabling the company to collect real-world movement data useful for training humanoid robots.

ARK Invest futurist Brett Winton said this scale gave China a strategic edge over U.S. developers like Tesla, Figure AI and Apptronik, as the data helps robots navigate buildings, narrow walkways and uneven terrain.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo: JCDH / Shutterstock