The FTC just took Meta (FB) to court
for attempted monopolization of metaverse
This isn't your run-of-the-mill lawsuit.
This is the US Government claiming Meta (formerly Facebook) have too much of a strangle hold on the metaverse.
The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has filed a lawsuit against Meta and Zuck, in an attempt to stop:
“Its ultimate goal of owning the entire ‘metaverse.’”
This all came about after Meta kicked the proverbial hornets nest and tried to acquire the virtual reality firm 'Within' and its fitness app, Supernatural.
The FTC are claiming Meta is trying to “buy its way to the top” as opposed to “competing on the merits.”
...but is a metaverse fitness app really going to be the tipping point for Zuck's domination in the space?
It certainly has the potential to.
When you're dealing with network effects, in a space as young as the metaverse, this sort of accelerated customer acquisition goes a long way.
Networks (like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) become more valuable based on their potential connections.
Which means adding just a handful of new users to a network can drastically increase the amount of connections:
Gaining this sort of momentum early on in the race is a sure fire way of snuffing out competition.
The more users a platform gains → the more content is made → the more developers are attracted to it → the less their competitors are able to compete.
And the fact that Meta can plug any new users into their existing network of 2.9 billion?
That doesn't leave much room for competition.
Good news is: you won't have to wait long to hear the verdict.
The FTC have until Sunday to block the sale.