Facebook acquired a company so as to kill them off because it is cheaper for the Big Heavy to buy and kill than compete with the threatening product...
Nah, FB makes money. That $60M was probably generated outside the US. Therefore it cannot* be brought home, and must be spent on foreign acquisitions.
* Of course it can be, companies are just betting if they accumulate enough outside-the-US wealth, they'll get another "bring it home" tax exemption/tax holiday.
I know this is SlashDot and its not in vogue to bother reading the linked article, but at least try out the actual Headline:
Facebookâ(TM)s Oculus to Pay About $60 Million for Gesture-Control Firm Pebbles
and from the article itself:
... Pebbles has recently integrated its technology into the virtual-reality headset developed by Facebookâ(TM)s Oculus VR, enabling users to interact with the device via hand and finger gestures. Unlike competing gesture-identification technologies, Pebblesâ(TM) enables users to see images of their own arms and hands in their virtual-reality display. In some other technologies, users canâ(TM)t âoeseeâ their bodies, or only see generic digitally-generated versions. Pebblesâ(TM) technology can show unique features like clothing, scars or items held in oneâ(TM)s hand....
This is much more like the guys who figured out how to make the VR "monitor and computer" deciding to buy the guys working on the VR "mouse and keyboard" because they need each other.
Facebook acquired a company so as to kill them off because it is cheaper for the Big Heavy to buy and kill than compete with the threatening product...
That's exactly what the summary says.
And why the US government should get all anti-trust on them.
Nah, FB makes money. That $60M was probably generated outside the US. Therefore it cannot* be brought home, and must be spent on foreign acquisitions.
* Of course it can be, companies are just betting if they accumulate enough outside-the-US wealth, they'll get another "bring it home" tax exemption/tax holiday.
You don't need to have a monopoly to have anti-trust actions brought against you.
I know this is SlashDot and its not in vogue to bother reading the linked article, but at least try out the actual Headline:
Facebookâ(TM)s Oculus to Pay About $60 Million for Gesture-Control Firm Pebbles
and from the article itself:
... ...
Pebbles has recently integrated its technology into the virtual-reality headset developed by Facebookâ(TM)s Oculus VR, enabling users to interact with the device via hand and finger gestures. Unlike competing gesture-identification technologies, Pebblesâ(TM) enables users to see images of their own arms and hands in their virtual-reality display. In some other technologies, users canâ(TM)t âoeseeâ their bodies, or only see generic digitally-generated versions. Pebblesâ(TM) technology can show unique features like clothing, scars or items held in oneâ(TM)s hand.
This is much more like the guys who figured out how to make the VR "monitor and computer" deciding to buy the guys working on the VR "mouse and keyboard" because they need each other.