Source: Reason
by Joe Lancaster
“In January 2024, Amazon terminated its agreement to acquire iRobot, the company that manufactures the Roomba robot vacuum. That company then laid off nearly one-third of its work force. In a joint statement, the companies said they saw ‘no path to regulatory approval in the European Union.’ But busybody American lawmakers also helped scuttle the deal. … Lawmakers — led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — penned a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan in September 2022, advocating that ‘the FTC should use its authority to oppose the Amazon-iRobot transaction.’ … One assumes Warren was pleased as well (though her office did not respond to a request for comment), as she had opposed the merger from the start — though since iRobot is based in Bedford, Massachusetts, a sizable portion of the 350 laid-off workers are likely to be her constituents.” (for publication 05/24)
https://reason.com/2024/04/23/regulators-killed-a-lifeline-for-roombas/