Mark Zuckerberg to testify in FTC antitrust case against Meta

The Federal Trade Commission will subpoena Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify in the upcoming case against the company. FTC in July in an attempt to block it from , the creator of the popular VR workout app .

reports that the agency listed 18 witnesses, including Zuckerberg and Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth, in a court document filed in California’s Northern District Court on Friday. In addition to answering questions about the potential acquisition, the FTC plans to ask Zuckerberg about Meta’s virtual reality strategy and how the company intends to support third-party developers, according to court documents seen by Reuters.

In July, the FTC accused the company and Zuckerberg of attempting to “illegally acquire” Within. “Instead of competing on merit, Meta is trying to buy its way to the top,” John Newman, deputy director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, said at the time.

Meta has dismissed the FTC’s case, claiming it was based on “ideology and speculation, not evidence.” The case could be another costly setback for a company struggling to convince the public and Wall Street of its vision for the future. Earlier this week, Meta revealed in its latest earnings report that Reality Labs’ VR and AR division was losing more money than ever. In Q3 2022, the unit lost $3.7 billion. It’s a trend that David Wenner, the company’s outgoing chief financial officer, told investors will continue through 2023.