FTC’s case ignores reality, says Meta as antitrust trial kicks off

New Delhi: As Meta Platforms faces the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a high-stakes antitrust trial starting today, April 14, 2025, the company has fired back with a blog post titled “The FTC’s Weak Case Against Meta Ignores Reality.” 

The lawsuit, filed in 2020, alleged that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 were anti-competitive moves to cement a monopoly in social networking. 

The FTC seeks to force Meta to divest these platforms, while Meta argues the case overlooks fierce competition and consumer benefits.

Meta’s blog contends that the FTC’s argument hinges on a narrow definition of the social media market, claiming Meta only competes with Snapchat and MeWe while ignoring giants like TikTok, YouTube, and X. “The evidence will show what every 17-year-old knows: Instagram competes with TikTok,” Meta wrote, citing a usage spike on Instagram when TikTok briefly went offline. 

In the blogpost, it further wrote, “More time is spent on TikTok and YouTube than on either Facebook or Instagram – if you only add TikTok and YouTube into the FTC’s social media market definition, Meta has <30% market share.

The company emphasised that its investments—billions of dollars and millions of hours—have transformed Instagram and WhatsApp into free, reliable services that benefit consumers and businesses. Meta warned that unravelling these decade-old, FTC-cleared deals threatens innovation, sending a message that “no deal is ever final.”

The FTC, however, argues that Meta’s “buy-or-bury” strategy stifled emerging rivals to maintain dominance. Regulators point to internal emails, including one from CEO Mark Zuckerberg allegedly stating it’s “better to buy than compete,” as evidence of intent to squash competition. The FTC claims Meta’s acquisitions limited consumer choice and harmed innovation in a market it defines as “personal social networking services,” distinct from broader platforms like TikTok or YouTube. 

Meta highlighted that both acquisitions were reviewed and cleared by the FTC over a decade ago, arguing they’ve since enhanced user experience—like removing WhatsApp’s fees—and supported millions of businesses. 

Meta calls the FTC’s market definition “gerrymandered” and its case “revisionist history,” while the FTC insists Meta’s dominance demands accountability. 

“This case isn’t about censorship or content decisions. In fact, the word “censorship” doesn’t appear anywhere in the FTC’s briefs. This case is about the reality of the competition we face today. We are confident in our case and look forward to presenting it in court,” wrote Meta’s Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead in the blog post.