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In 2018, Meta launched \u2018Reality Labs\u2019 (RL), a research and development division to oversee the company\u2019s production of spatial computing technologies. Drawing on a media historiographical approach from platform studies, this article charts the development of the company\u2019s spatial computing ambitions through RL from 2018 to 2022. In so doing, we find that Meta attempts to consolidate complementors through acquisitions, capture policymakers and academics, convene third-party businesses and developers, and expand its ecosystem through enhancing platform programmability. We argue that RL\u2019s efforts to grow the platform from within, and through drawing in third-parties, signals an ambition to grow their spatial computing offerings such that they take on a central, infrastructural role in society.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/14614448221119785","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,5]],"date-time":"2022-09-05T02:23:01Z","timestamp":1662344581000},"page":"4336-4360","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":46,"title":["\u2018The metaverse and how we\u2019ll build it\u2019: The political economy of Meta\u2019s Reality Labs"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"26","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7878-7208","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ben","family":"Egliston","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Queensland University of Technology, Australia"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4866-4928","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marcus","family":"Carter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The University of Sydney, Australia"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,9,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-14614448221119785","unstructured":"Abrash M (2015) VR\u2019s grand challenge. 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