San Francisco, California-based Anki, a start-up creator of consumer-focused robots endowed with artificial intelligence has announced that they are planning to close the company and layoff all workers, estimated at near 200 employees. The company simply ran out of money, even though it was seeking additional investment capital after having raised $200 million in venture capital over the past nine years. There are a number of companies that might be interested in Anki’s intellectual property.
According to Anki’s co-founder and CEO, Boris Sofman, “"It is with a heavy heart to announce that Anki will be letting go of our employees, effective Wednesday. We’ve shipped millions of units of product and left customers happy all over the world while building some of the most incredible technologies pointed toward a future with diverse AI and robotics driven applications. But without significant funding to support a hardware and software business and bridge to our long-term product roadmap, it is simply not feasible at this time. Despite our past successes, we pursued every financial avenue to fund our future product development and expand on our platforms. A significant financial deal at a late stage fell through with a strategic investor and we were not able to reach an agreement. We’re doing our best to take care of every single employee and their families, and our management team continues to explore all options available."
In addition to employees, the company’s closure may also affect consumers who rely on the company’s cloud infrastructure which is necessary for robot operation.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?