According to reports, the FTC is investigating Meta’s virtual reality firm for antitrust issues
- ByStartupStory | January 16, 2022
Following reports that the FTC’s antitrust case against Meta overcame a key obstacle earlier this week, the agency is now reportedly looking at the company’s virtual reality operations.
According to Bloomberg, the Federal Trade Commission and a number of state attorneys general are investigating Meta’s virtual reality section for “possible anti-competitive actions.” The state-level probe is apparently being led by New York, which has been speaking with outside software developers who create apps for Meta’s virtual reality experience.
State and federal regulators are looking into whether the company used anti-competitive tactics to stifle competition in the virtual reality market. According to Bloomberg, the officials were particularly interested in how the firm subsidises the price of its Quest 2 VR headset in order to push it on consumers and box out the competition.
The FTC’s investigation of Meta’s app store, hardware, and software policies suggests that the company’s acquisitions aren’t the only issue in what could be a major antitrust case that defines the future era of internet enterprises.
The FTC was investigating Meta’s proposed acquisition of Supernatural, a virtual reality fitness software, in a deal valued more than $400 million, according to The Information in December.
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