Meta Faces Landmark Trial That Could Lead to Breakup of Instagram, WhatsApp

A historic antitrust trial against Meta Platforms Inc. has begun in Washington, raising the possibility that CEO Mark Zuckerberg could be forced to divest Instagram and WhatsApp, BBC News’ Lily Jamali reported.

 If the FTC prevails, Meta could be ordered to divest both platforms.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram (2012) and WhatsApp (2014) were strategic moves to eliminate emerging competitors and establish a monopoly in the social media space.

“The FTC’s argument is the acquisition of Instagram was a way of neutralizing this rising competitive threat to Facebook,” said Rebecca Haw Allensworth, a professor of antitrust law at Vanderbilt University.

She noted that Zuckerberg’s own emails, in which he said it was “better to buy than compete,” may prove to be key evidence.

Zuckerberg and former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg are expected to testify in the weeks-long trial. If the FTC prevails, Meta could be ordered to divest both platforms.

In a statement, Meta said: “The FTC’s lawsuits against Meta defy reality.

More than 10 years after the FTC reviewed and cleared our acquisitions, the commission’s action sends the message that no deal is ever truly final.”