Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is set to face the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust trial on Monday, with key evidence pointing to allegations of anti-competitive practices. A 2012 email revealed that Zuckerberg suggested buying Instagram to “neutralize a potential competitor”, and another message showed he attempted to acquire Snapchat for $6 billion.
The FTC aims to prove that Meta’s dominance in the market was achieved through acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, rather than fair competition. Experts argue it is rare to unwind mergers approved years ago, but Zuckerberg’s testimony may be crucial in determining the outcome.
During his seven-hour testimony, Zuckerberg will face questions about the acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014. The FTC will present a paper trail of emails showing that acquisitions were intended to eliminate threats to Facebook’s dominance.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/04/ftcs-monopoly-case-hinges-on-zuckerbergs-damaging-texts-emails