Overview

• The Federal Trade Commission's antitrust trial against Meta has officially started, focusing on the company's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
• The FTC alleges that Meta used these acquisitions to monopolize the personal social networking market, harming competition and limiting consumer choice.
• Meta argues that it faces significant competition from platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Apple's iMessage, challenging the FTC's definition of the social networking market.
• High-profile witnesses, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, former COO Sheryl Sandberg, and executives from rival platforms, are expected to testify during the trial.
• The trial comes against a backdrop of shifting FTC leadership and Meta's reported efforts to build favorable relations with the Trump administration.