Prime Highlights

• The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated a high-profile antitrust lawsuit against Meta, arguing its acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp.
• Trial would compel Meta to sell these platforms if the court upholds the FTC’s argument.

Key Facts

• The trial commenced on April 14, 2025, in Washington, D.C., and will last for a maximum of eight weeks.
• They also include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, former COO Sheryl Sandberg, and Instagram head Adam Mosseri.
• The FTC accuses Meta’s shopping spree as being driven by a need to destroy competition and maintain social media dominance.

Key Background

Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent company, was sued by the Federal Trade Commission in a never-before-seen antitrust case that could redefine the social media future. Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 are being questioned—two acquisitions approved by regulators at the time they cleared but now said to have been anti-competitive.

The FTC contends that such acquisitions were not planned to further enhance consumer experience and innovation but as a way to quell nascent challenges to Facebook’s monopoly. Internal Meta communications as emails, like CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s 2012 email proposing that Meta purchase Instagram, were a calculated attempt to disable a competitor, form the basis of the government case.

As such, Meta argues that it has enriched the two platforms with huge investment, innovation, and consolidation to the benefit of billions of people around the globe. The company argues that the social media environment is more competitive than ever, with new platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube providing formidable substitutes for its offerings.

The case is being tried by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg and will determine if Meta’s previous actions were monopolistic in nature. The FTC is pushing for a structural remedy, something that would involve the court forcing Meta to divest Instagram and WhatsApp—a first-ever move in recent U.S. corporate history.

This case is one of the most aggressive attempts by US regulators to take on Big Tech’s power. It reflects increased bipartisan alarm at how ubiquitous internet platforms affect competition, innovation, and consumer choice. With Google, Apple, and Amazon already facing antitrust scrutiny as other tech monopolies, the Meta case may also set the template for enforcement to come.

A Meta loss would be an earthquake in reviewing past mergers and might catalyze a wave of mimic suits against other prominent tech mergers. The outcome of the trial will be closely observed by lawmakers, company leaders, and regulators around the world.