Signals of the future of work (Aug. 2022)

Will Amazon use Roombas to vacuum data from our homes?

On 5 August, Amazon issued a press release announcing that it had made a 1.7 billion dollar deal to purchase iRobot, the company behind the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner and other similar products. The news has sparked major controversy over the risk that the tech giant will use iRobot’s devices to “vacuum” more than just dust from people’s homes. The most advanced Roomba vacuums leverage mapping technology to learn the floor plan of their users’ houses and cameras to steer clear of obstacles. With these smart vacuums, users save precious time that can be spent on other, more rewarding activities than cleaning their floors.