After the "meta-universe" exploded, it was not only about capital, but also about regulators.
People's Daily Commentary: Is the metacosm a capital hype or a new track? Before coming to conclusions, you might as well "let the bullets fly for a while."
The US antitrust agency, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), has also recently targeted the metacosm, but the difference is that the FTC is targeting metascopies that are vigorously developing metacosm. For Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said: Metaverse was not created by a single company.
For Zuckerberg's attitude, the FTC hopes Meta can continue to maintain.
1. The FTC is eyeing Meta for a reason
Regarding Meta's ambitions, Sina VR has specifically introduced Meta's ambitions: to create a more open and connected world, and this world belongs only to Meta.
For now, the FTC's concern is that with the acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp, Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has created a hegemony on social media, which many see as a monopoly on online networks.
The most powerful authority, the FTC wants to separate Instagram and WhatsApp from Meta, which the U.S. federal court has previously accepted in a revised FTC lawsuit against Meta.
The FTC is taking a closer look at Meta's Metaverse extensions, starting with the acquisition of Oculus in 2014, and no one imagined that Meta would make Oculus one of the world's best-known VR hardware vendors.
Oculus, with the support of Meta, has also positioned it from a high-end niche market for hardcore gamers to a self-sufficient mass market.
The FTC review focused more on Meta's aggressive growth and marketing policies for hardware and software over the past three years. In the past two years alone, Meta has acquired six leading VR development studios, including the one behind the hit game Beat Saber. The alleged deal to buy Supernatural, the second-largest fitness VR app, for about $400 million, is currently blocked by the FTC.
Meta also created an exclusive advantage for XR hardware through strategic acquisitions: Meta acquired licensing of all of Plessey's Micro LED products and acquired optical manufacturer Imagine Optix. Competitors can no longer use these technologies, or only with the support of Meta. Meta also allegedly attracts professionals from Apple and Microsoft, whose salaries are even twice as high as before.
The FTC's focus on Meta is not out of thin air, and it is not deliberately looking for fault. Through various indications, if Meta implements a monopoly on the market, many companies will be restricted by development, and Meta will be able to call the wind and rain.
2. How will the FTC treat Meta?
The FTC itself has had difficulty analyzing Meta's monopoly ideas from certain acquisitions because it is impossible to discern whether certain firms will be stepping stones on the road to monopoly.
Perhaps It's not clear which businesses will be key to the monopoly path, and when it came to acquiring Instagram, Zackerbock had little idea that the then-small photo platform could surpass Facebook itself.
The FTC's ongoing investigation of Meta's VR strategy should be evaluated in this context. According to Bloomberg, the agency is currently listening to the voices of the industry and talking to studios and companies that are feeling disadvantaged by Meta's business practices, and it is unclear exactly which companies the FTC will talk to.
The FTC also wants to investigate Meta's aggressive pricing policy on Quest 2, with some accusing Meta of stifling potential competition in virtual reality from companies like HTC in the context of Quest pricing. Analysts estimate that about 75% of VR headsets sold in 2021 will come from Meta, up 34% from the previous year. Reports from the VR industry and SteamVR statistics also show that Meta is almost single-handedly dominating the VR business.
Meta VR headsets are quite competitive in the market, and quest 2 has influenced the vast majority of VR headset sales in the market to some extent. Meta can provide hardware and software, compared with other VR hardware companies, the advantages are more obvious, coupled with Meta's crazy acquisition of a number of companies, in its road to building a "meta-universe" to provide impetus.
3. Full text summary
Does Meta have an intentional monopoly? From all indications, Meta's development path has been frantically tested on the edge of monopoly, and Meta has been subject to antitrust investigations many times before.
On September 7, 2019, Facebook was subject to an antitrust investigation by government officials from across the United States preparing to launch an antitrust investigation into the two tech giants. New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced that she will lead some state officials in an updated investigation into whether Facebook is holding back competition and harming consumers.
With more antitrust investigations, the suffering Meta should relent, but the pace of Meta's expansion will not slow down. The development of the "metacosm" will not stop because of external factors, Meta's "cosmic dream" has been done, and Zacker Burke will try his best to make this "dream" continue.
Despite the FTC's concerns about Meta, Meta will avoid antitrust investigations through a series of operations. Metaverse was not created by one company alone, but by many companies, but who dominates in this "metaverse"? Who has the say? Zuckerberg didn't say.
So, will Meta single-handedly control the "metaverse"? Will other companies create a stronger and better "metaverse" than Meta? I'm afraid only time will tell us the answer!