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New iRobot owner won’t discontinue its own vacuum cleaners after all

19.3.2026

Translation: Eva Francis

Everything’s changed again: the new iRobot owner Picea has decided to keep selling its own robot vacuum brand 3i after all. iRobot’s CEO Gary Cohen’s had to correct his previous statement.

iRobot confirmed twice that the new owner Picea’s discontinuing its own robot vacuum brand 3i, stating that Picea would only use the iRobot brand in the new company conglomerate instead of keeping iRobot and 3i. That’s all changed again now, as the CEO of iRobot has corrected his statements.

In February, the robot manufacturer, which took over all communication for the merger, responded to questions from Digitec Galaxus by saying «The 3i brand has been discontinued and will no longer be manufactured.» This news was published in the following article:

News + Trends
New owner strengthens iRobot - and will discontinue its own robot vacuum brand 3i
by Lorenz Keller

3i staying on the market after all

Two weeks after the release, I interviewed iRobot CEO Gary Cohen. Without me asking him directly, he also mentioned in the hour-long conversation that Picea had discontinued its own brand – even before the deal was concluded. The iRobot CEO took this as a positive signal for the strength of the iRobot brand.

Now iRobot has come forward again and has stated that these statements were incorrect. According to an iRobot communications manager, the 3i brand is alive and kicking and has not been discontinued. She also apologised on behalf of CEO Gary Cohen for the false statements and added that they should have consulted Picea.

At present, iRobot’s not commenting on specific plans and the question of whether the two brands will be positioned differently.

For more news on the takeover by Picea and the future of iRobot, read this article:

Background information
After the near-end: iRobot boss talks about mistakes, restart and big plans
by Lorenz Keller

Header image: Christian Walker

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Lorenz Keller

Senior Editor

Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.ch

Gadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.

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