14 Apr 2025

FTC Antitrust Case Against Meta Begins

by Bonnie | | 0

A huge Federal Trade Commission antitrust case against social media powerhouse Meta began today with opening statements in front of federal District Court Judge James Boasberg.

Meta, helmed by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and other smaller companies such as Oculus VR and Giphy. It brings in $1.4 trillion in advertising revenue.

The FTC asserts that Meta acquired potential competitors to add those it found advantageous to its portfolio and obliterate the rest, systematically shaping the marketplace so that it dominates as a monopoly. Such behavior violate antitrust laws.

To make the social media market competitive again, the FTC argues Meta must unwind its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. This would make it feasible for smaller social media ventures to compete.

Meta’s counterargument is that the social media space has become even more crowded since its 2014 acquisition of WhatsApp. Competitors include Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter), China’s TikTok, YouTube, BlueSky and more.

It is unclear how the relationship between Donald Trump and Zuckerberg may affect the case. They were feuding six years ago when the FTC’s investigation began. Recently Zuckerberg has been cultivating Trump’s favor with praise, changes in company policy to line up with Trump’s favorite stances, visits to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, and millions of dollars in court settlements and donations.

Click here for more details.

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