--- title: "Gov Files Antitrust Suit to Stop Facebook From Buying VR Company" description: "The FTC launched an antitrust suit against Mark Zuckberg and Facebook-formerly-Meta, blocking — at least for now — their acquisition of VR company Within." date: "2022-07-28" modified: "2022-07-28" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/antitrust-facebook-meta-vr-acquisition" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "facebook" - "ftc" - "mark zuckerberg" - "metaverse" --- # Gov Files Antitrust Suit to Stop Facebook From Buying VR Company ![The FTC launched an antitrust suit against Mark Zuckberg and Facebook/Meta, blocking — at least for now — Facebook/Meta's acquisition of VR company Within.]() *\Image: Meta/Futurism\* The Federal Trade Commission has launched an antitrust suit against [alleged robot]() Mark Zuckerberg's [Meta]()[-formerly-known-as-Facebook](), blocking — at least for now — the company's purchase of the VR startup Within, [*T**he New York Times* reports](). This case could be a major bump in the road for Zuck's Metaverse vision, especially coming in tandem with [the company's latest revenue report](). On Wednesday afternoon, just hours after the FTC broke the news, Facebook/Meta clocked its first revenue decline in the company's public history, as well as a 36 percent decrease in profits. Within [offers a number of VR experiences](), most notably its flagship product called Supernatural, an industry-leading fitness app. Zuck et al made moves to acquire the organization back in October 2o21 — the same month that it [announced its so-called Metaverse](), an immersive digital world complete with [endless virtual fitness]() opportunities. Now, however, the FTC is attempting to prevent this from happening, specifically alleging that the billionaire intends to monopolize the VR fitness space — and beyond. "Meta seeks to exploit the network-effects dynamic in VR. Indeed, Mr. Zuckerberg has made clear that his aspiration for the VR space is control of the entire ecosystem," [reads the lawsuit](), which argues that Facebook could have simply attempted to compete with the tech, but chose to buy and assume greater market control instead. "The proposed acquisition of Within would be one more step along that path toward dominance." As the *NYT* reports, the suit is unusual, but experts believe that the FTC might be attempting to set monopoly law precedents for the Metaverse Age. "It's a riskier case, but one they think is worth bringing because if they succeed it will help the frontier of enforcement outward," William E. Kovacic, former FTC Chair, told the *NYT*. "I think this is the first of its kind." The FTC's Bureau of Competition Deputy Director, John Newman, even told the *NYT* that Meta is trying to "buy its way to the top" rather than compete on merits, on grounds that the Silicon Valley bigwig had already owned a popular VR fitness app at the time of the attempted Within acquisition. This is first antitrust case filed by [incoming FTC Chair Lina Khan](), a Biden appointee who made big waves back in 2017 when, as a 29-year-old law student, she published a [lauded reframing of monopoly law]() focused specifically on Jeff Bezos' Amazon. As one might imagine, the [metamates]() are less than thrilled. "The FTC's case is based on ideology and speculation, not evidence," Meta [wrote in an extremely salty statement](). "The FTC rests its arguments on a number of flawed premises and unsupported assumptions that do not stand up to scrutiny." The statement angrily continued: "At the end of the day, attempting to bar Meta from making acquisitions at all benefits *no one —* especially if the goal is to encourage innovation and competition." Rough waters ahead for the [archery-loving billionaire](), perhaps? Alas, [katana in hand](), we're sure he's ready to duel his way through legal and financial woes. No one [smokes his meat]() but him! **READ MORE:** [*F.T.C. Sues to Block Meta’s Virtual Reality Deal as It Confronts Big Tech*]() \[*The New York Times*\] **More on Meta dreams:** *[Facebook Employees Say Mark Zuckerberg Is Weirdly Obsessed with the Metaverse]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()