After Amazon-iRobot the FTC Is More ‘Focused’ on Blocking Bad Deals

  • Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter speaks at Brussels event
  • FTC decision expected soon in Kroger-Albertsons tie-up
Roomba robot vacuums made by iRobot.Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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After Amazon.com Inc.’s decision to abandon a proposed acquisition of iRobot Corp. this week, the Federal Trade Commission is “extremely focused” on blocking bad mergers, a senior official said.

Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, one of three Democrats that control the US antitrust agency, said at a Brussels conference on Wednesday that the FTC was already probing the transaction when Amazon dropped the deal.