Here are 1-3 brief analogies for iRobot:

• The Hoover of robotic vacuums
• Dyson for robotic home cleaning
• Tesla for home cleaning robots

• Roomba: A series of robotic vacuum cleaners designed to automatically clean floors.
• Braava: A series of robotic mops designed to automatically wet mop, damp sweep, and dry sweep hard floors.

iRobot (symbol: IRBT) primarily sells its products, such as Roomba vacuuming robots and Braava mopping robots, directly to individual consumers rather than other businesses.

The company serves the following categories of customers:

1. General Household Consumers: This is the broadest customer base, encompassing individuals and families looking for convenient, automated solutions to maintain cleanliness in their homes. These customers value the ease of use and time-saving benefits offered by robotic floor cleaners.
2. Smart Home Adopters and Tech Enthusiasts: These customers are interested in integrating their homes with various smart devices and ecosystems (e.g., Amazon Alexa, Google Home). They seek iRobot products that offer advanced connectivity, app control, and integration capabilities to create a more automated and interconnected living environment.
3. Time-Conscious Individuals and Busy Families: This category includes consumers with demanding schedules who are looking to outsource or automate household chores to free up their time. They prioritize convenience and are willing to invest in technology that simplifies daily tasks and improves their quality of life.

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Gary Cohen, Chief Executive Officer
Gary Cohen was named Chief Executive Officer in May 2024. He has over 25 years of executive leadership and turnaround experience, successfully driving enterprise-wide transformation and brand growth at Fortune 500 and privately held companies. Cohen most recently served as CEO and board director at Qualitor Automotive from 2015 to 2022, where he led a successful transformation that increased sales and profits by approximately 100%. Prior to Qualitor Automotive, he was CEO at Timex from 2011 to 2013. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at Energizer, Playtex, and Gillette. At Playtex, he was part of a turnaround team that facilitated its sale to Energizer for $1.16 billion in 2007.

Karian Wong, Chief Financial Officer
Karian Wong will serve as Chief Financial Officer starting December 2024. She oversees the company's global finance organization, including financial planning and analysis, accounting, treasury, tax, internal audit, and investor relations. Wong also manages the facilities and global IT organizations. Prior to this appointment, she led iRobot's global accounting operation, most recently serving as SVP and Principal Accounting Officer since 2021. She joined iRobot in 2017 as VP of finance and chief accounting officer. Before iRobot, Wong held various leadership positions at Nuance Communications, including Vice President and Controller, and previously served as a senior audit manager at Ernst & Young. Nuance Communications is a publicly held computer software technology corporation.

Jeffrey Engel, President & Chief Operating Officer
Jeffrey Engel was named President & Chief Operating Officer in August 2024. He is a global turnaround and restructuring advisor with over 30 years of C-suite and advisory experience, leading successful turnarounds across multiple industries and geographies. Engel previously served as iRobot's Chief Restructuring Officer and, prior to that, was the Founder and Managing Director of Pacific Partners Capital.

Jean Jacques (JJ) Blanc, Chief Commercial Officer
Jean Jacques (JJ) Blanc was named Chief Commercial Officer in February 2020, responsible for leading iRobot's global go-to-market commercial strategy. With over 30 years of commercial management experience, he previously served as iRobot's Vice President and General Manager of EMEA. Blanc played a critical role in the acquisition and integration of iRobot's largest distributor, Robopolis SAS. Before joining iRobot, he held leadership roles in commercial management at Whirlpool, including General Manager for France and Vice President of Sales for North West Europe.

Kevin Lanouette, Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Kevin Lanouette was named Senior Vice President and General Counsel in January 2025, leading the company's worldwide legal and compliance functions. Prior to iRobot, Lanouette was a Partner at OutsideGC, a Boston-based law firm, where he advised clients on complex corporate, commercial, M&A, and securities matters.

The dominant risk for iRobot (IRBT) is its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and the resulting loss of shareholder value.

iRobot, the maker of Roomba robotic vacuums, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 14, 2025. The company's secured lender and primary contract manufacturer, Shenzhen PICEA Robotics Co., Ltd. (Picea), is set to acquire iRobot through a court-supervised process. Upon court approval, iRobot will transition to a private company, and its shares will be delisted from the Nasdaq.

Existing common stockholders are explicitly warned that they "will not receive any equity of the reorganized Company" and "will experience a total loss and not receive recovery on their investment" if the Chapter 11 plan is approved. This bankruptcy follows years of financial pressure, intensifying competition from lower-priced rivals, and a failed acquisition attempt by Amazon, which was blocked by European Union regulators in early 2023. The immediate trigger for the bankruptcy was a liquidity crisis, as iRobot was unable to reliably compensate its primary manufacturer, Picea, which became its largest creditor.

Intense competition from Asian manufacturers (e.g., Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi) offering robot vacuum and mop combinations with advanced navigation (LiDAR) and autonomous features at highly competitive price points, challenging iRobot's market share and pricing power.

The addressable markets for iRobot's main products are as follows:

• Robotic Vacuum Cleaners (Roomba): The global robotic vacuum cleaner market size reached USD 9.07 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 31.79 billion by 2033, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.97% during the forecast period of 2025-2033.
• Robotic Mops (Braava): Robotic mops are typically included within the broader "floor-cleaning robot" segment of the cleaning robot market. The global cleaning robot market was evaluated at USD 6.16 billion in 2024. Within this market, the floor-cleaning robot segment generated the biggest market share of 43% in 2024. This indicates an addressable market for floor-cleaning robots (including robotic vacuums and mops) of approximately USD 2.65 billion globally in 2024.

iRobot (IRBT) anticipates several key drivers for future revenue growth over the next 2-3 years, primarily centered around its renewed product strategy and operational efficiencies.

1. Launch of New and Innovative Products: iRobot is heavily focused on refreshing its product line with new introductions in 2025. The company recently launched products such as the Roomba Combo 2 Essential, Roomba Vac 2 Essential, and Roomba Combo 10 Max with AutoWash Dock, with a full lineup of margin-accretive products expected throughout 2025. These new offerings are designed to deliver innovative technology and enhance cleaning capabilities, thereby driving sales.

2. Market Stabilization and Rebound, particularly in the US and EMEA: After facing persistent headwinds in the consumer market, iRobot expects a category rebound. The company has observed a return to growth in the EMEA region and anticipates similar trends in the US. The introduction of multifunctional cleaning devices is also expected to contribute to this market resurgence.

3. Enhanced Gross Margins and Cost Optimization: While not a direct revenue increase, iRobot's focus on improving gross margins through new products with better cost profiles and cost reductions on existing products is crucial. This strategy, coupled with a new operating model that delivers increased new product introductions with fewer internal resources and lower costs, is expected to drive revenue growth at enhanced margins and improved profitability.

4. Leveraging Strategic Partnerships and R&D Efficiency: The company's "iRobot Labs" initiative aims to harness global engineering talent and partner strengths to reduce time-to-market for new products and advance technological leadership. By holding OEM relationships more accountable for product development and streamlining R&D and supply chain expenses, iRobot expects to innovate and bring products to market faster and more efficiently, supporting its revenue growth objectives.

Share Issuance

• iRobot raised $19.3 million through an At-The-Market (ATM) Equity Offering Sales Agreement in July 2023, by selling 1.9 million shares.
• In June 2025, iRobot agreed to issue warrants for 1.56 million shares to its lenders as part of an extension on credit covenant waivers.

Inbound Investments

• In January 2024, iRobot received a $94.0 million termination fee from Amazon due to the mutual agreement to terminate their merger agreement.
• In July 2023, iRobot secured a $200 million senior secured term loan credit facility, receiving $188.2 million net of issuance costs.

Capital Expenditures

• iRobot's capital expenditures averaged $15.366 million annually for fiscal years ending January 2021 to 2024, but the latest twelve months capital expenditures were zero.
• Capital expenditures significantly decreased from a peak of $31.599 million in January 2021 to a five-year low of $0.1 million in December 2024.
• Capital spending is primarily directed towards leasehold improvements, business applications software, and computer and equipment, with reduced investment in tooling and machinery due to a shift in manufacturing strategy.