It was a rough week. There are rarely good weeks for my industry, but this one felt especially dire. Perhaps because it hit close to home. Not that many publications, however, have been through the scale of what iRobot is facing. After a year-and-a-half of waiting, Amazon dropped its bid to purchase the Roomba-maker, citing mounting regulatory concerns.
As a result, iRobot is working through yet another round of layoffs. This one is significant, amounting to 350 people – nearly one-third of the company’s global workforce. Losing your job sucks, full stop. I’ve been through it a couple of times myself. It’s difficult to shake the feeling of shame that surround the experience.
It’s not your fault. That’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché for a reason. A lot of people well above your pay grade made a series of wrong decisions, resulting in a final decision that finds you facing the consequences. There are infinite macro factors in play, as well, but that’s cold comfort when you don’t know where your next paycheck is coming from.
The good news is that if you work in robotics, you’re going to be okay. The economy has really been through the ringer over the past several years, but automation has thrived amid the chaos. If you’re based in a hot spot like Boston or Pittsburgh, there are always openings. If you’re elsewhere, the good news is that the pandemic has helped decentralize the work force.
If you’re looking for a new gig in robotics, here’s a good place to start.
Agtonomy (6 roles)
Amazon Robotics (10 roles)
Ambi Robotics (1 role)
ANYbotics (27 roles)
Autodesk (1 role)
Berkshire Grey (20 roles)
Bonsai Robotics (6 roles)
Boston Dynamics (10 roles)
BRINC (15 roles)
Burro (10 roles)
Chef Robotics (6 roles)
Exotec (177 roles)
Farm-ng (4 roles)
Figure (20 roles)
Formant (6 roles)
Four Growers (4 roles)
Freefly Systems (7 roles)
Guardian Agriculture (5 roles)
House of Design Robotics (4 roles)
Kewazo (2 roles)
Matic Robots (12 roles)
Monumental (10 roles)
Neya Systems (6 roles)
Picogrid (4 roles)
Polymath Robotics (1 role)
Roboto AI (1 role)
Skip (2 roles)
Stratom (3 roles)
Vention (15 roles)
WiBotic (3 roles)
