iRobot Corporation - 1792 Exchange

Rating Overview

iRobot Corporation is Medium Risk.

iRobot Corporation is Medium Risk. The company often yields to political activism in shaping corporate governance, potentially alienating consumers, dividing employees, and harming shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. The company occasionally embraces corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues at times. This approach fails to safeguard free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	High Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	Lower Risk

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

iRobot promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Code of Business Ethics requires international vendors to include sexual orientation and gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy (1). However, the company has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (3).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

iRobot does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1)(2).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

iRobot offers unconscious bias and inclusive workspace training to its employees (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its supply chain. From its CSR Report: “iRobot has also rolled out a Supplier
Diversity Program with the following
objectives:
• Align program with overall diversity and corporate
social responsibility goals.
• Communicate, educate and train on the
importance of supplier diversity to key
stakeholders.
• Ensure diverse suppliers who are certified and
meet standards have equal opportunity in
participating in purchasing processes.
• Increase the percentage of diverse suppliers
across our organization.”(2). However, the company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (3).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

iRobot’s CEO Colin Angle signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion pledge, which includes a commitment to promote DEI through bias education training in the workplace, strategize on DEI programs/initiatives with other signatories, and engage boards of directors when developing and evaluating DEI strategies (1)(2). The company supports DEI within its business practices. From its CSR Report: “iRobot believes that the diversity of our talented workforce
and their unique experiences, perspectives and viewpoints add
value to our ability to meet the changing global requirements
of our business. We continue to evolve our programs and
practices to attract a variety of perspectives, ideas, skills,
and cultural backgrounds to our global iRobot family.
iRobot stands firmly against racial discrimination and social
injustice. We are committed to developing a talented and
diverse global workforce, creating workplaces that are
inclusive and support the underrepresented communities
within which we operate.” (3).