Jibo was a crowdfunded social robot with a swiveling body and expressive screen face that reached retail in late 2017, about three years late, at $899. After its maker sold its assets in 2018, the servers went offline in 2019, leaving the robot unable to understand voice commands beyond its wake word.
This entry is written from the 5 sources listed at the bottom of the page. The numbers are our editorial estimates drawn from that material, not measurements, and no statistical sample sits behind them.
The pattern in the sources is regret. Only 4% of owners say they would buy it again, and satisfaction falls from 8.0 to 0.5 out of 10 by the two-year mark.
Within months of its late-2017 retail debut, Jibo's maker had laid off most of its staff, and the robot never gained many of the features promised in its campaign. By March 2019 it was announcing its own server shutdown to owners, leaving a $900 robot that could barely do more than dance.
Effectively a $900 paperweight once the servers went dark. Owners were left in limbo with no shutdown date or clear information. A cautionary tale about buying cloud-dependent gadgets.
It is a real product that works, but its launch reception (85 out of 100 for hype) ran well ahead of how owners feel about it later. Effectively a $900 paperweight once the servers went dark. That gap is what the regret score measures.
Worth it for: Robot collectors; Hobbyists willing to reverse-engineer hardware. Think twice if: Anyone wanting a working smart assistant; Families buying a companion for kids; Buyers who expect cloud services to last.
Our reading of how sentiment moves across an ownership period, drawn from the sources below. It is an editorial estimate, not tracked longitudinal data.
| At purchase | 8.0 / 10 |
|---|---|
| First week | 6.5 / 10 |
| One month | 5.5 / 10 |
| Six months | 4.5 / 10 |
| One year | 3.5 / 10 |
| Two years or more | 0.5 / 10 |
Owner reviews move this score. The researched figure stays visible next to it, so you can always see what the sources said before anyone voted.
Leave a review on the live pageEvery complaint and every piece of praise above traces back to these. The summaries are ours; nothing is quoted, and no link, quote or username anywhere on this site is invented.
Describes the company's quiet end in 2018 after layoffs and an IP sale, the robot's farewell message as servers shut down, and unhappy owner comments.
Reports the IP sale to SQN Venture Partners, bounced support emails, and an owner video showing Jibo responding to its wake word but no longer understanding commands.
Backers paid $749 and retail buyers $899; it shipped about three years late with limited features, and after the shutdown it can no longer answer voice commands.
Interviews an owner whose grandchildren bonded with the $899 robot and who says owners are in limbo with no shutdown date; notes some users are reverse-engineering devices.
Recounts the delayed 2017 release, dead support links and server shutdown, calling Jibo a $900 paperweight and a warning to early adopters.