Published 6 hours ago • loading... • Updated 1 hour ago

Meta prevails in historic FTC antitrust case, won’t have to break off WhatsApp, Instagram

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the FTC failed to prove Meta holds a monopoly, allowing Meta to keep Instagram and WhatsApp.
The Federal Trade Commission sued Meta in 2020 alleging it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to eliminate rivals under a 'buy or bury' strategy and sought divestiture to restore competition.
Testimony during the seven-week trial showed executives and old emails, as Boasberg wrote that people treat TikTok and YouTube as substitutes for Facebook and Instagram, adding the FTC offered no empirical evidence of substitution.
The ruling spares Meta a breakup and preserves key revenue sources tied to Instagram and WhatsApp, while the FTC can appeal and Meta celebrated, saying the decision recognizes fierce competition.
The ruling highlights challenges in unwinding historical mergers as regulators face rapidly evolving platforms; James Boasberg noted the online social media landscape has changed since the FTC filed in 2020.

Insights by Ground AI

153 Articles

US: Meta wins huge antitrust case, avoids break-up

The US tech giant Meta — formerly Facebook — dodged a bullet on Tuesday when US District Judge James Boasberg ruled in its favor in a major antitrust case filed by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2020 and ending in May. The case posed an existential challenge to the company, charging that it had simply purchased Instagram and WhatsApp to stave off competition. An unfavorable ruling would have forced the company to divest from Instagram …

1 hour ago·Bonn, Germany

Read Full Article

Mashable

Left

Meta Victorious in Ftc Antitrust Case

Federal judge rules against FTC in Meta antitrust case.

3 hours ago·United States

Read Full Article

Ars Technica

Center

Meta wins monopoly trial, convinces judge that social networking is dead

People are “bored” by their friends’ content, judge ruled, siding with Meta.

3 hours ago·United States

Read Full Article

BBC News

Center

Meta does not have social media monopoly, judge rules

The decision allows Instagram's parent company to avoid the prospect of the company breaking up

4 hours ago·United Kingdom

Read Full Article

NZ Herald

Center

Judge ends FTC’s five-year Meta fight

A federal judge rejected the Federal Trade Commission’s effort to force Meta to divest its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, ending a five-year legal...

4 hours ago·Auckland, New Zealand

Read Full Article