Anki, the toy robotics company behind the original AI racing course Anki Overdrive and the adorable robot companion Cosmo, is shutting down.
As first reported by ReCode, Anki CEO Boris Sofman shared the news with staff today. The company will terminate its staff of 200 employees, who will be given one week’s worth of severance.
Previous reports had fingered Amazon, Microsoft, and Comcast as possible companies to acquire the tech startup.
However, the decision came after the company failed to reach an agreement for a significant financial deal and exhausted other avenues to finance its future product development plans.
While the company is perhaps best known for its successes in the toy aisles— first with Anki Overdrive then Cozmo—more recently, Anki announced its intention to transition to a home robotics company. Last year, the company completed a $1.88 million Kickstarter campaign for its first home robot, Vector, a small home robot.
This is a developing story and will be updated.