Overview

• The six-week FTC trial ended last week with Judge James Boasberg now weighing whether Meta unlawfully monopolized personal social networking through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
• The FTC presented internal Meta emails showing executives, including Mark Zuckerberg, worried that Instagram and WhatsApp could emerge as threats before Facebook’s purchases.
• Meta countered that it competes with a broad array of platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, X and iMessage, and the judge has expressed skepticism about the FTC’s narrow market definition.
• Zuckerberg offered up to $1 billion to settle the case, but the FTC insisted on at least $18 billion and a consent decree, prompting Meta to reject the proposal.
• Post-trial briefs are due in September, making a ruling unlikely before fall 2025 and potentially triggering a remedies phase that could include breaking up the company.