Washington: Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has asked a federal judge to dismiss the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit, arguing that the agency has failed to establish that the tech giant maintains an illegal monopoly in the social media market.
The request was made during a high-stakes trial in Washington that began on April 14. The FTC alleges that Meta, formerly known as Facebook, unlawfully cemented its dominance by acquiring rival platforms Instagram and WhatsApp, and is seeking to unwind those deals, which date back more than a decade.
Meta’s legal team contends that the FTC has not met the burden of proof required to support its monopoly claims. If the judge grants Meta’s motion, the case could end swiftly. However, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg may choose to allow the trial to continue. Meta is currently presenting its own evidence, and proceedings could extend into June.
A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment on Meta’s motion when contacted on Thursday.
The FTC has focused its case on internal communications, including emails in which CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed concern over the growing popularity of Instagram and WhatsApp. The agency argues that these acquisitions were strategic moves to eliminate competition and consolidate Facebook’s dominance in the social networking space.
Meta, however, pushed back, asserting that WhatsApp had no ambition to become a social media platform at the time of the acquisition—and that Zuckerberg was aware of this. The company also pointed out that Instagram’s growth accelerated following its acquisition, countering claims that the purchase harmed competition.
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Furthermore, Meta argued that the FTC failed to convincingly define the social media market. The agency has attempted to distinguish “friends-and-family” sharing apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat from broader social platforms such as TikTok. Meta countered that in the race for user attention, the lines between these platforms are blurred.
“The through line connecting all of these social apps is that each vies to show the most compelling user-generated content so that it can take as much user time and attention as possible from the other apps, including Meta’s apps,” the company stated.
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Meta maintains that platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and X (formerly Twitter) serve similar user needs and are competitive alternatives—undermining the FTC’s claims of market segmentation.
If Judge Boasberg denies Meta’s motion, both parties will proceed with final briefs and closing arguments. Should the court rule that Meta holds an unlawful monopoly, the case would move into a second phase to determine potential remedies.
