Opening arguments begin today in a landmark antitrust trial against Meta, with federal regulators arguing the company monopolized personal social networking services by acquiring smaller rivals with the goal of squashing competition. The case may potentially result in Meta being forced to divest from a number of key apps, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
The realization of a suit originally brought in December 2020, prosecutors are expected to focus on alleged emails from CEO Mark Zuckerberg stating it’s better to “buy than compete” with potential competitors. The company purchased Instagram in 2012 for $1B and WhatsApp in 2014 for $21B (see company history)—the former now accounts for roughly half of the company’s US revenue, while the latter has an estimated 2.7 billion global users. Zuckerberg has reportedly petitioned President Donald Trump to intervene.
The case is the first of two against tech giants unfolding back-to-back—Google will begin an evidentiary hearing next Monday over charges it monopolized the online search market.
