# iRobot: Colin Angle. How The Roomba Became a Household Icon

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2026-04-13
- Length: 1h 03m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon

## Summary

Colin Angle, co-founder of iRobot, recounts the company's journey from a garage startup building military robots to creating the Roomba, which dominated the consumer robotics market. He details the engineering breakthroughs that made the vacuum viable, the marketing pivot triggered by a Pepsi ad, and the strategic failures that led to the collapse of a $1.7 billion acquisition by Amazon. Angle reflects on how regulatory intervention and rising competition from Chinese manufacturers ultimately forced iRobot to sell its technology and assets to a Chinese company.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=0) Introduction: Colin Angle and iRobot's Origins
- [12:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=740) Early Survival: Military Contracts and Toy Dolls
- [31:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=1894) The Roomba Concept: From Prototype to Product
- [35:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=2155) Launch and Inventory Crisis: The Cheerios Demo
- [45:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=2759) Marketing Turnaround: The Dave Chappelle Pepsi Ad
- [43:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=2601) Scaling and Quality Issues: The 150-Hour Design Flaw
- [55:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=3342) Diversification Failures and Smart Home Ambitions
- [57:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=3461) The Amazon Acquisition Block and Aftermath
- [1:03:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2026-04-13-irobot-colin-angle-how-the-roomba-became-a-household-icon#t=3801) Life After Roomba: New Ventures and Reflections

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Growth, exits & acquisitions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/growth-exits-and-acquisitions)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up, large enterprises

## Mentioned

- iRobot (company)
- Roomba (product)
- Colin Angle (other)
- Hasbro (company)
- My Real Baby (product)
- PackBot (product)
- Brookstone (company)
- Pepsi (company)
- Dave Chappelle (other)
- Amazon (company)
- FTC (other)
- European Commission (other)
- DARPA (other)
- Rodney Brooks (other)
- Genghis (product)
- MIT (other)
- Sharp Image (company)
- SE Johnson (company)
- Scuba (product)
- Tara (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [What's next for iRobot?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2024-02-01-whats-next-for-irobot) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [CES 2019 Special: Interview with Chris Jones, CTO at iRobot](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-01-12-ces-2019-special-interview-with-chris-jones-cto-at-irobot) (EE Times Current)
- [112: Designing & Commercializing Robotics Inventions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2022-02-02-112-designing-commercializing-robotics-inventions) (Product Startup)
- [Steve Crowe, Mike Oitzman and Dan Kara review the top robotics stories of 2021](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-12-22-steve-crowe-mike-oitzman-and-dan-kara-review-the-top-robotics-stories-of-2021) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Inside Colin Angle’s bid to build companion robots with Familiar Machines & Magic](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-05-04-inside-colin-angles-bid-to-build-companion-robots-with-familiar-machines-magic) (The Robot Report Podcast)

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