{"id":1293612,"date":"2025-04-15T10:02:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T04:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/?p=1293612"},"modified":"2025-04-15T10:03:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T04:33:30","slug":"zuckerberg-can-be-forced-to-sell-whatsapp-instagram-if-meta-loses-this-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/zuckerberg-can-be-forced-to-sell-whatsapp-instagram-if-meta-loses-this-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Zuckerberg Can Be Forced To Sell Whatsapp, Instagram If Meta Loses This Case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A high-stakes antitrust trial<\/strong> kicked off in a US court on April 14, targeting Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg<\/strong>. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)<\/strong> alleges that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram (2012)<\/strong> and WhatsApp (2014)<\/strong> were illegal moves to stifle competition and establish digital dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Zuckerberg<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

What Is the FTC Alleging?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At the Washington trial, FTC attorney Daniel Matheson<\/strong> argued<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Meta bought up rising rivals after it failed to compete with them fairly.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He said these deals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Created entry barriers<\/strong> for new players<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Eliminated alternatives<\/strong> for consumers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Solidified Meta’s monopoly<\/strong> in the social media space<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    What’s at Stake?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If the court sides with the FTC:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Meta could be forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • It would mark a historic breakup<\/strong> of a tech giant<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Other tech firms could face increased scrutiny<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Meta earns nearly 50% of its US ad revenue from Instagram<\/strong>, highlighting the financial blow it could face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      Zuckerberg’s Legal & Political Moves<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      According to reports:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • Zuckerberg is lobbying Donald Trump<\/strong> to intervene or support a settlement<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • He was seen at the White House<\/strong> on April 2<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Past donations to Trump\u2019s inauguration are now seen as part of a bigger political play<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n

        \u201cZuckerberg is trying to cash in \u2014 lobbying Trump to settle the FTC\u2019s case,\u201d former US Labor Secretary Robert Reich<\/strong> posted on X.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        Meta\u2019s Defence: “This Case is Absurd”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Meta\u2019s Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Newstead<\/strong> dismissed the case:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n

        \u201cIt’s absurd that the FTC is trying to break up a great American company while the Administration tries to ban Chinese-owned TikTok.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

        Meta claims it improved Instagram\u2019s user experience<\/strong> and that the lawsuit discourages tech innovation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n\n\n\n

        The Bigger Picture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        This trial isn’t just about Meta \u2014 it’s a litmus test for Big Tech regulation<\/strong> in the US and a chance for the government to redefine antitrust enforcement in the digital era<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        A high-stakes antitrust trial kicked off in a US court on April 14, targeting Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram (2012) and WhatsApp (2014) were illegal moves to stifle competition and establish digital dominance. What Is the FTC Alleging? At the Washington trial, FTC attorney Daniel […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":1293631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[349,564],"class_list":["post-1293612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-mark-zuckerberg","tag-meta"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nZuckerberg Can Be Forced To Sell Whatsapp, Instagram If Meta Loses This Case - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/trak.in\/stories\/zuckerberg-can-be-forced-to-sell-whatsapp-instagram-if-meta-loses-this-case\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zuckerberg Can Be Forced To Sell Whatsapp, Instagram If Meta Loses This Case - Trak.in - Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A high-stakes antitrust trial kicked off in a US court on April 14, targeting Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alleges that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram (2012) and WhatsApp (2014) were illegal moves to stifle competition and establish digital dominance. What Is the FTC Alleging? 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