Mark Zuckerberg's empire at stake as Meta prepares to battle Trump's antitrust cops in court

Meta Platforms (META) is preparing for the commencement of a courtroom antitrust conflict Monday with the US authorities successful a lawsuit that could unit Mark Zuckerberg to interruption up his $1.3 trillion empire and merchantability 1 of its crown jewels: Instagram.

If Zuckerberg is not capable to person President Trump to settee earlier the proceedings begins successful a Washington, D.C., tribunal earlier US justice James Boasberg, Meta volition go the 2nd Silicon Valley elephantine successful 2 years to look disconnected against the government’s antitrust watchdogs.

The archetypal was Alphabet's Google (GOOG, GOOGL), which battled the Justice Department successful tribunal during parts of 2023 and 2024. Federal justice Amit Mehta ruled past August that Google illegally monopolized online markets for "general search" and "general hunt text.”

The last determination connected what happens to Google's $2 trillion empire volition beryllium determined this twelvemonth successful a abstracted "remedies" signifier of the hunt trial. Trump's DOJ has stuck to a Biden-era petition to interruption up Google, calling for divestment of its Chrome browser, portion lasting down connected a propulsion for the tech elephantine to merchantability disconnected its AI investments.

There could beryllium much clashes to come. Federal prosecutors are inactive moving up antitrust cases successful pre-trial phases against Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), and Microsoft (MSFT).

The DOJ has besides alleged Google illegally monopolized the online advertizing exertion marketplace In a abstracted antitrust proceedings inactive awaiting a judge's decision.

The government's lawsuit against Meta centers connected the Federal Trade Commission’s claims that its starring societal media platform, Facebook, utilized monopoly powerfulness to bargain up, alternatively than vie with, smaller rival societal media companies.

Facebook acquired Instagram successful 2012 for $1 cardinal and WhatsApp successful 2014 for $19 billion. Both mergers were fixed a greenish airy by the FTC, pursuing reviews.

"[It] is amended to bargain than compete," Zuckerberg allegedly wrote successful an interior institution email successful 2008, according to the government's case.

One cardinal portion of the FTC's statement is that Facebook purchased Instagram successful 2012 due to the fact that it "lacked the concern talent" to support its marketplace dominance done innovation arsenic smartphones drew consumers toward mobile internet.

In different 2012 acquisition, according to the government, Facebook bought then-shuttered Google societal app “Glancee" allegedly to foreclose connected the hunt giant’s societal networking ambitions.

Facebook besides bought the arguable marketplace quality work Onavo successful 2013. That, according to the FTC, helped Facebook place progressively fashionable mobile apps, including WhatsApp and a polling app called "tbh."