Zuckerberg Testifies in Landmark Antitrust Trial That Could Force Meta to Sell Instagram, WhatsApp
Washington, April 15, 2025 — Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the witness stand Monday in a high-stakes antitrust trial that could force Meta Platforms Inc. to divest Instagram and WhatsApp. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that Meta’s acquisitions were strategic moves to eliminate competition — not foster innovation.
The trial, which began in a Washington federal court, derailed Zuckerberg’s hopes that Donald Trump’s return to the White House might signal a rollback of regulatory enforcement against tech giants.
“They decided that competition is too hard and it would be easier to buy out their rivals than to compete,” said FTC attorney Daniel Matheson in his opening remarks.
Meta’s legal team, led by attorney Mark Hansen, defended the company’s past purchases, claiming they were legal and growth-oriented acquisitions, not monopolistic takeovers.
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The FTC’s case targets Meta’s billion-dollar acquisition of Instagram in 2012 and its $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp in 2014. At the time, both were promising platforms that Meta allegedly saw as threats to Facebook’s dominance.
Also Read: Meta Launches Llama 4: Zuckerberg Unveils Powerful Open-Source AI With MoE Breakthrough
In a 2012 email cited by the FTC, Zuckerberg described Instagram as “really scary,” admitting that Meta might need to “pay a lot” to neutralize the threat.
Now, Instagram boasts over 2 billion users, and WhatsApp remains one of the most widely used messaging platforms globally.
The FTC insists Meta used its market position to make these platforms near-impossible to compete with, citing excessive ads, lack of innovation, and limited consumer choice as consequences of its monopoly power.
Meta argues it invested heavily in scaling these platforms and that users aren’t locked in — they use services like TikTok, YouTube, iMessage, and X (formerly Twitter) as alternatives.
“Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp compete vigorously with global platforms. What teenager doesn’t know that?” Meta stated ahead of trial.
The trial is being presided over by Judge James Boasberg, who is also involved in high-profile immigration and executive power cases. Zuckerberg’s political strategy—donations to Trump’s inauguration, a $23 million DC mansion, and a policy shift on moderation—has so far failed to derail the FTC’s momentum.
The trial is expected to last eight weeks, with testimonies from Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and executives from rival firms.
The outcome could trigger the biggest breakup of a tech company in modern U.S. history, sending ripples across Silicon Valley and the global tech industry.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta antitrust trial, FTC vs Meta, Instagram acquisition, WhatsApp acquisition, tech monopoly, US tech regulation, Meta breakup case, Donald Trump tech policy, Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook FTC lawsuit, big tech crackdown, Judge James Boasberg, antitrust enforcement US
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