Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has taken the witness stand in a landmark antitrust trial to defend his company against allegations that his company operates a social media monopoly.
His testimony is part of a case first brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2020 during the final days of the first Trump administration.
The US competition watchdog alleges Meta unfairly dominated the market through its acquisitions of photo-sharing app Instagram in 2012 and the messaging service WhatsApp in 2014.
The FTC is seeking to break up Meta by forcing a spinoff of Instagram or WhatsApp. Meta says there's plenty of competition in social media, including from apps such as TikTok, X, and YouTube:-
The FTC lawyer cited a 2012 memo from Mr Zuckerberg in which he discusses the importance of "neutralising" Instagram.
Mr Matheson called that message "a smoking gun".
Meta, on the other hand, said the purchases made the consumer experience better.
"Acquisitions to improve and grow" have never been found unlawful, Meta's lead litigator, said on Monday, "and they should not be found unlawful here".
Meta said last year that it had 3.27 billion daily active users across its products.
Instagram was expected to account for more than half of Meta's advertising revenue in the US in 2025. according to research firm Emarketer.
Meta has been making regular overtures to Trump since his election.
The company contributed $1m to Trump's inaugural fund, and has added former Trump adviser Dina Powell McCormick and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White, a Trump ally, to Meta's board of directors this year.
Amit Mehta found that Google holds a monopoly in online search, with a market share of around 90%.
Last month, government attorneys reiterated a demand made during the Biden administration that a court break up Google's search monopoly.
The FTC's case against Meta will be tougher to prove, says Laura Phillips-Sawyer, an associate professor of business law at the University of Georgia.
"I think they have a real uphill battle," Ms Phillips-Sawyer said of the FTC.
"They have a long road before any consideration of divestiture of Instagram or WhatsApp is considered."
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