The blockbuster antitrust case against Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — has kicked off in Washington, DC, the United States.
Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg takes the stand for the second straight day today. The landmark case accuses Meta of taking over Instagram and WhatsApp before they could become competitors.
The suit is the culmination of a nearly six-year investigation into whether the social media giant broke US competition laws in acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp. At stake is the future of Meta’s $1.4 trillion advertising business and the prospect of having to spin off its hugely popular services into separate companies.
Zuckerberg takes political strategy
The federal court trial in Washington has dashed Zuckerberg’s hopes that the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House would see the government let up on the enforcement of antitrust law against Big Tech. Zuckerberg, the world’s third-richest person, has made repeated visits to the White House as he tried to persuade the president to choose settlement instead of fighting the trial.
As part of his lobbying efforts, Zuckerberg contributed to Trump’s inauguration fund and overhauled content moderation policies. He also purchased a $23m mansion in Washington in what was seen as a bid to spend more time close to the centre of political power.
But the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has shown no interest in letting up its push against Meta. Trump-appointed FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said in an interview on Fox Business that the agency would not let a Meta-like monopoly arise again. Ferguson’s push is not a far cry from the previous FTC Chairwoman, Lina Khan, who under former US President Joe Biden was known to be tough on Big Tech.
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