Meta Platforms has asked a federal judge to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case accusing the company of unlawfully maintaining a monopoly in the social media market, arguing the agency has failed to prove its claims during the ongoing trial in Washington.
The FTC alleges Meta illegally eliminated competition by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp more than a decade ago. The agency is seeking to unwind both acquisitions, contending they were part of a strategy to neutralize emerging threats in the social media space.
Meta’s request, if granted, would end the case early based on the evidence presented so far. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who is presiding over the trial that began on April 14, has the discretion to deny the request. Meta is currently presenting its own case, and proceedings may continue through June.
The FTC has argued that Meta’s acquisitions were aimed at eliminating upstart rivals, citing internal emails in which CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed concern over the growth of competing platforms. But Meta countered Thursday that evidence showed WhatsApp had no intention of competing as a social media platform and that Zuckerberg was aware of this at the time of the acquisition. The company also said Instagram flourished after it was acquired.
Meta further claimed that the FTC failed to show a clear distinction between traditional friends-and-family sharing apps and newer platforms like TikTok, which Meta says it has been forced to emulate to remain competitive. While the FTC has maintained that apps like TikTok, X, Reddit, and YouTube are fundamentally different from Facebook and Instagram, Meta argues all social platforms compete for the same user attention through compelling user-generated content.
Should Judge Boasberg reject Meta’s motion, the case will move toward final briefs and closing arguments. A ruling in favor of the FTC would trigger a second phase of the trial focused on potential remedies. The FTC has not yet commented on Meta’s motion.
