Meta CEO Zuckerberg takes stand in trial on deal for VR app maker Within

WASHINGTON/SAN JOSE (Reuters) – Mark Zuckerberg, Chief Executive of Facebook parent Meta Platforms, took the stand on Tuesday in a high profile trial over the future of virtual reality and the company’s budding metaverse business.

Zuckerberg is defending Meta’s acquisition of virtual reality app developer Within.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued Meta in July in federal court in Northern California to stop the deal, saying its “campaign to conquer VR (virtual reality)” began in 2014 when it acquired Oculus, a VR headset manufacturer.

It has accused Meta of trying to buy its way to dominance in the metaverse.

Within developed Supernatural, which it advertises as a “complete fitness service” with “beautiful destinations” and “workouts choreographed to the best music available.”

(Reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington D.C. and Katie Paul in Palo Alto, Editing by Franklin Paul and Anna Driver)