iRobot's CEO Reveals the Mistakes That Nearly Killed Roomba (And the Plan to Rebuild)
Automated Podcast 43:14
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Robot vacuums are still in fewer than 20 percent of US homes after more than 20 years on the market. iRobot CEO Gary Cohen explains why the category is just getting started and what it will actually take to bring it mainstream.
In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Gary Cohen, CEO of iRobot and the brand behind Roomba, about what really happened during the Amazon acquisition attempt, how Chapter 11 forced a full reset, and why he rebuilt the entire product line in under a year to win Prime Day 2025.
Gary draws on his career at Gillette, Oral-B, and Timex to explain why consumer-led companies beat technology-led companies every time. He breaks down the mopping mistake that cost iRobot market share, why feature wars never grow a category, and why the setup experience matters more than any new spec.
Key Moments
00:00 Why People Name Their Roombas
02:26 Gary Cohen's Background: From Gillette Mach3 to iRobot
04:18 The Robot Feature Wars and What They Get Wrong
07:41 The Consumer Insight iRobot Missed
10:48 Why Robot Vacuums Are Still in Under 20% of Homes
13:37 Why Simplicity Beats Features for Category Growth
15:31 iRobot's Retail Relationships and Brand Strength
19:44 Japan-First Launch: A First in iRobot's 30-Year History
23:25 Research Company vs. Commercial Company
25:28 The iRobot Lawnmower: What's in the Back Room
28:49 The Amazon Deal: What Really Happened
32:13 Why He Took the Hardest CEO Job in Robotics
34:29 Coming in as an Outsider After a Founder CEO
38:13 How Consumers Feel About Chapter 11
39:19 Privacy, Data Security, and the China Question
41:15 iRobot's Plan for the Next Two to Three Years
Connect with Gary Cohen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/garycohen/
Learn more about iRobot
https://www.irobot.com/
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@automate.org
Find the transcript and more episodes at automate.org/podcast
Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
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In this episode of Automated, Brian Heater speaks with Gary Cohen, CEO of iRobot and the brand behind Roomba, about what really happened during the Amazon acquisition attempt, how Chapter 11 forced a full reset, and why he rebuilt the entire product line in under a year to win Prime Day 2025.
Gary draws on his career at Gillette, Oral-B, and Timex to explain why consumer-led companies beat technology-led companies every time. He breaks down the mopping mistake that cost iRobot market share, why feature wars never grow a category, and why the setup experience matters more than any new spec.
Key Moments
00:00 Why People Name Their Roombas
02:26 Gary Cohen's Background: From Gillette Mach3 to iRobot
04:18 The Robot Feature Wars and What They Get Wrong
07:41 The Consumer Insight iRobot Missed
10:48 Why Robot Vacuums Are Still in Under 20% of Homes
13:37 Why Simplicity Beats Features for Category Growth
15:31 iRobot's Retail Relationships and Brand Strength
19:44 Japan-First Launch: A First in iRobot's 30-Year History
23:25 Research Company vs. Commercial Company
25:28 The iRobot Lawnmower: What's in the Back Room
28:49 The Amazon Deal: What Really Happened
32:13 Why He Took the Hardest CEO Job in Robotics
34:29 Coming in as an Outsider After a Founder CEO
38:13 How Consumers Feel About Chapter 11
39:19 Privacy, Data Security, and the China Question
41:15 iRobot's Plan for the Next Two to Three Years
Connect with Gary Cohen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/garycohen/
Learn more about iRobot
https://www.irobot.com/
Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at podcast@automate.org
Find the transcript and more episodes at automate.org/podcast
Unlock full access to Automated and explore everything automation. Subscribe today on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
You can also find us on
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/automated-podcast-by-a3/
https://www.instagram.com/automatedpod/
Subscribe to the Automated Newsletter
https://www.automate.org/automation/newsletter-automation-roundup
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