The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) called Zuckerberg as its first witness, as the agency seeks to show that Meta acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to further entrench and protect its monopoly over personal social networking.
In opening arguments Monday morning, the agency argued Facebook’s parent company was struggling to compete in the early 2010s as consumers moved away from websites to mobile apps.
As apps like Instagram and WhatsApp grew in popularity, Meta initially attempted to offer similar products before ultimately acquiring the apps for $1 billion and $19 billion, respectively. The FTC described this as a push to neutralize its competitors.
“The reason that we’re here is that for more than 100 years, American public policy has insisted that firms must compete if they want to succeed,” Daniel Matheson, the lead attorney representing the FTC, said in opening remarks Monday. “Meta broke that deal.”
The agency has sought to separate Meta’s platforms from other social media apps, such as TikTok and YouTube, by arguing Facebook and Instagram are centered on connecting friends and family. The other main competitor in this market is Snapchat, according to the FTC.
During several hours of questioning Monday, Zuckerberg acknowledged that connecting with friends and family remains a core part of Meta’s products. However, he emphasized social media has changed over the years to increasingly center on discovering new and entertaining content.
Matheson pointed Zuckerberg to numerous statements from the company and its top executives on the importance of friends and family connections on its platforms, including a 2018 post announcing plans to highlight more content from friends and family.
The Meta CEO suggested this push was tied to public debate over social media at the time. However, he described this effort as a “misdiagnosis.”
“In retrospect, I think we missed something really important here,” Zuckerberg said, later adding, “I think we misunderstood how social engagement online was changing.”
Meta contends it is not a monopolist and faces direct competition from TikTok, YouTube and numerous other platforms.
Read more in a full report from the court room at TheHill.com.
