Mark Zuckerberg hit the witness stand this week, defending Meta in a blockbuster antitrust case that could force the tech giant to spin off Instagram or WhatsApp.
The FTC isn’t pulling punches, accusing Meta of buying rivals to “neutralize” threats rather than out-innovate them.
A 2012 email from Zuckerberg calling Instagram a growing threat? The FTC calls it a “smoking gun.”
He insists those emails were just early brainstorms, not proof of a monopolistic master plan.
“We improved Instagram,” he said. “We didn’t crush it—we supercharged it.”
What Happened?
Critics say Meta overpaid—$1 billion for Instagram, $19 billion for WhatsApp—not to build, but to block competition.
Meta’s legal team calls the FTC’s argument “misguided” and warns it could upend how American companies grow.
“This is a tougher sell than Google’s search monopoly,” said business law professor Laura Phillips-Sawyer, noting that TikTok, YouTube, and X are all in the mix.
And let’s not ignore the politics.
Meta’s recent coziness with Trump raises eyebrows as the company also battles censorship claims and settles lawsuits.
So, is Meta a digital empire in need of breaking up?
Or just a savvy player punished for winning? The jury’s still out—but the whole tech world is watching.
