Mark Zuckerberg testifies to Meta’s ambitions in virtual reality

On December 8, District Court Judge Edward J. Davila began hearing arguments regarding the injunction. In an opening statement, Abby Dennis, an FTC attorney, said Meta could have built a competitor to Within’s popular VR fitness game, Supernatural, on its own without acquiring the company.

Hal Singer, an economist who is one of the witnesses for the FTC, later testified that the agreement harmed competition. Aaron Koblin, the founder of Within, also appeared as a witness, as did Mark Rabkin, a Meta executive. Mr Rabkin said Meta considered adding a fitness element to a virtual reality game he owns, Beat Saber, but did not pursue the idea.

On Monday, Meta’s Chief Technology Officer Andrew Bosworth spoke. Mr Bosworth, who oversees the company’s virtual reality work and was involved in the acquisition of Within, said Meta sees itself as “a platform, and the idea of ​​a platform is that there is so much software that no company could create all of it.

Meta preferred to acquire companies that had created viral games, he said, because it was not easy to emulate that kind of success. He added that Meta would not favor the games or programs he purchased over those from other parties.

Hours before his testimony, Bosworth also published a 2,000-word blog post defending Meta’s commitment to artificial and virtual reality, and emphasizing that the company sees it as a competitive space.

“As new devices hit the market, we believe our industry will enter a new era of growth and competition that will bring tremendous benefits to users and the developer community,” he wrote.

No further sessions are scheduled for the hearing after Tuesday, although others may be added. Judge Davila is expected to rule once the closing arguments are over.

ryan mac contributed report.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.