According to reports, the US Federal Trade Commission has begun to review Amazon’s $1.7 billion acquisition of vacuum robot maker iRobot to determine whether the transaction violated antitrust law.
The report said the U.S. antitrust agency’s scrutiny of iRobot has covered a broad spectrum, including both head-to-head competition and whether the deal would illegally increase Amazon’s share of the connected device market and retail market as a whole.
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Amazon declined to comment, and iRobot and the FTC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The e-commerce giant has steadily expanded its device lineup with more speakers showcasing its Alexa voice assistant, as well as home security doorbells and cameras from Ring, which it acquired in 2018.
In August, Amazon announced an all-cash deal to buy iRobot, maker of the robotic vacuum cleaner Roomba, for $61 per share. The world’s largest online retailer is working to expand its line of smart home devices and expand the e-commerce giant’s virtual medical treatment, adding brick-and-mortar doctor’s offices for the first time.
In July, the online retailer agreed to buy primary care provider One Medical. One Medical said that U.S. antitrust authorities have asked the company and Amazon to provide more information about the company’s $3.49 billion acquisition by Amazon.
