Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied in court Wednesday that his company bought rival Instagram and WhatsApp to neutralize them as his testimony in a landmark antitrust case ended.
The case could force Facebook owners to divest two apps that have evolved into global powers since their acquisition.
Zuckerberg’s third and final day in federal court in Washington, targeted the Federal Trade Commission’s main argument – Facebook has swallowed up what it believes is a competitive threat since it changed its name to Meta.
Facebook’s co-founder responded to “No” when Meta’s attorney Mark Hansen asked his intention to eliminate competitors by buying photo sharing app Instagram and messaging service WhatsApp.
He explained that Instagram was purchased in 2012 and was attractive to the “camera and photo sharing experience,” but added that he “didn’t see it as a wide network that is truly competitive with where we are.”
As for WhatsApp, what was purchased two years later, Zuckerberg testified that he thought the app was technically impressive, but its founder was “unambitious” to “maximize the impact they could have.”
“I basically ended up trying to add stuff,” he told the court.
Zuckerberg testified that Facebook has invested its scale and resources into building Instagram and WhatsApp for billions of people.
A key part of the court battle is how the FTC convincingly defines the meta-market for judges.
The U.S. government believes Facebook and Instagram are the main players in the app, providing a way to connect with family and friends, and the category does not include Tiktok and YouTube.
Meta’s defense attorney countered that massive investments have transformed these acquisitions into blockbusters today. They also stressed that the meta application is free to users and faces fierce competition.
The case was originally filed in December 2020 in the last days of Donald Trump’s first administration.
Zuckerberg, the third largest man in the world, visited the White House repeatedly while trying to convince the president to choose a settlement rather than fight the trial.
As part of the lobbying effort, Zuckerberg contributed to Trump’s inaugural fund and overhauled the content review policy.
He also bought a $23 million mansion in Washington, which is seen as spending more time getting closer to the center of political power.
Zuckerberg evaluated Tiktok on Wednesday, conducting about 12 hours of testimony on Wednesday, saying it could be the biggest competitive threat for Instagram and Facebook.
According to Zuckerberg, Meta’s apps are growing slowly because Chinese video-Snippet sharing feels booming, so American Tech Titan has added Tiktok-like reel features to restart the market.
“That is, Tiktok is still bigger than Facebook or Instagram, and I don’t like it when our competitors are better than us,” he told the court.
The CEO testified that YouTube has become a fierce competition for the meta as video has evolved into its favorite form of online media, especially on smartphones.
