Meta prevails in antitrust lawsuit, retaining ownership of Instagram and WhatsApp.

In a significant ruling, Meta Platforms, Inc. triumphed in a high-profile antitrust lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that these acquisitions did not confer a monopoly over social networking services, asserting that the evidence presented by the FTC failed to substantiate claims that Meta currently exercises monopoly power in the market.

The FTC sought to compel Meta to divest itself of these popular applications, arguing that doing so would foster greater competition and diversity within the social media landscape. However, Judge Boasberg determined that the agency had not sufficiently demonstrated that Meta maintains the power to control the market as it once did. In his decision, he noted that while the FTC may have had grounds to argue that Meta had monopoly power in the past, the current state of competition—including the rise of platforms such as TikTok and YouTube—dilutes those claims.

Central to the FTC’s case were internal communications from Meta executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, which discussed strategic acquisitions of competitors as a means to stifle potential threats. The judge, however, underscored that historical conduct by Meta was less relevant to the case at hand; what mattered was its current role in the marketplace. The court concluded that the FTC failed to convincingly demonstrate that Meta continues to possess monopolistic power.

Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 were pivotal moments in the company’s growth. The case against it, initiated during the Trump administration and continuing into the Biden era, epitomizes the increasing scrutiny that large technology firms face from regulatory bodies across party lines. The outcome of this case could have broader implications for how tech companies are monitored and regulated in the future.

The ruling is particularly noteworthy in light of recent successes that the FTC has had in similar antitrust cases against other tech giants. The agency previously won two legal battles against Google and continues to pursue an antitrust suit against Amazon, indicating a concerted effort to regulate the tech industry more effectively. The recent verdict against Meta underscores the complexity of proving monopoly power in an industry marked by rapid change and evolving competition.

This outcome is expected to influence both public perception and regulatory discussions surrounding Big Tech, highlighting the ongoing tension between fostering competition and the pursuit of innovation in the industry.