FTC vs. Meta: Antitrust hearing begins. Mark Zuckerberg and other key witnesses to testify | Company Business News

Meta platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, started a court in the courtroom with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday (April 14). The antitrust trial, which could possibly lead to the breakup of the technical empire of Mark Zuckerberg, is the most important legal challenge that Meta encountered in 20-year history. Opening arguments start – Day 1 Mark Zuckerberg to testify, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is contacted in a courtroom in Washington, DC, on Monday to defend his company against federal accusations of being a monopoly. FTC accuses Meta of competitive behavior that the FTC claims that Meta has abused its dominant position in the social media market by obtaining potential opponents Instagram and WhatsApp, which effectively suffocates and consolidates competition. “There’s nothing wrong with Meta innovation,” said Daniel Matheson, the FTC’s chief advocate in his opening statements for the agency. “That’s what happened after this is a problem.” The FTC argues that Meta’s strategy was to ‘eliminate immediate threats’ by buying rising competitors rather than taking it out. The agency wants to force Meta to sell both platforms and to provide prior notice for future acquisitions. Meta defends its acquisitions in response, Meta, the Facebook mother -in -law, rejected the allegations of Monopolic Power. Attorney Mark Hansen, who represents Meta, emphasized that both Instagram and WhatsApp flourished under the management of the company. “The two programs have grown significantly under the ownership of Meta,” Hansen said. “There is no evidence that Meta is a monopoly.” He added that Meta offers his services for free and challenges the FTC’s monopoly argument: “How can the FTC maintain this monopolization case if it never charges users a cent?” The future of Meta is for the sake of the FTC victory, Meta can be ordered to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, which is critical income generators for the business. The outcome of the hearing can set a precedent for how aggressive the US government can regulate major technical mergers in the future. Important witnesses and timeline The trial, chaired by US district judge James Boasberg, is expected to take a few weeks. Important personalities expected to testify include: Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta and founder Sheryl Sandberg, former Meta Cooo Mike Schlukfer, former CTO Kevin Sysstrom, co-founder of Competitive Social Media Enterprises, who concluded on Monday morning. What is the case? The FTC first filed against Meta in 2020 during Donald Trump’s presidency. In 2021, Judge Boasberg initially rejected the case, referring to a lack of sufficient evidence. However, the FTC later filed an amended complaint, which was allowed to continue, which led to Monday’s trial. This trial is a critical time in the continued struggle over antitrust handling in the digital era -and whether platforms as meta can be held liable for acquisitions in the past that reformed social media landscape. First published: 15 Apr 2025, 12:15 am Ist