Meta's fitness-app plans take focus in FTC's 'Supernatural' case
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Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ:META) plan - or lack of plan - to build its own virtual-reality fitness app has become the focus of the Federal Trade Commission's efforts to block Meta's proposed acquisition of Within Unlimited, maker of popular app Supernatural.
âMeta itself had the intentions to enter - and thus was a reasonably probable entrant into - the VR Dedicated Fitness App market,â the FTC said in a court filing. But then it says the company killed those plans in favor of pursuing the already popular app, thus denying consumers the benefit of a new competitor.
Within was anticipating Meta's entry with its own moves, the FTC says: Meta had already hired Within's head of product, so Within developed competitive strategies for Supernatural "with the specter of Meta's potential entry in mind."
Meta in response says CEO Mark Zuckerberg and VR head Andrew Bosworth gave sworn testimony that they never authorized such work or devoted funding to it: âThese ideas never proceeded beyond the discussion stage, never received approval from any senior manager, and were all discarded as impractical for various reasons."
Meta also had decided against developing its own fitness-facing game Beat Saber into a real fitness app for reasons that "foreclose any possibility that Meta would build its own VR fitness app if the court blocks the transaction."
The FTC's case against the $400M acquisition is set for a two-week hearing in December in U.S. District Court. Check out more coverage of Meta's plan to acquire Within.
Meanwhile Tuesday, Meta's Andy Stone denied a report circulating that claimed Zuckerberg was preparing to resign from the company next year: "This is false."