Report Details Zuckerberg’s Efforts Before FTC Case
In an unfolding antitrust saga that could reshape the digital landscape, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly attempted to sidestep a legal showdown with the Federal Trade Commission by offering nearly $1 billion in settlement—an offer the agency flatly rejected.
The courtroom clash now underway could determine whether Zuckerberg will be forced to dismantle key pillars of his empire: Instagram and WhatsApp.
The FTC’s case alleges that Meta has violated antitrust laws by systematically eliminating competition. Instagram was acquired in 2012 for $1 billion, WhatsApp in 2014 for a staggering $22 billion. These acquisitions, the FTC argues, were not organic expansions but strategic takedowns—moves aimed at monopolizing what the government defines as the “personal social-networking” market.
Zuckerberg’s bid to avoid this legal reckoning reportedly began with a direct call to FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson. He first offered $450 million. When that didn’t gain traction, he upped the figure to nearly $1 billion. But Ferguson, holding firm, rejected both, standing by a far steeper proposal: an $18 billion payment alongside a consent decree that would significantly rein in Meta’s power.
Adding political nuance to the legal brawl, Zuckerberg has also made overtures to President Donald Trump. Sources indicate that Meta contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and agreed to a $25 million settlement over a post-January 6 Facebook ban—money that largely went toward Trump’s presidential library. It appears to have been a strategic effort to secure goodwill, as Meta braces for unprecedented structural threats.
But despite the backdoor diplomacy and high-dollar negotiations, Zuckerberg took the witness stand this week. There, Meta’s legal team has challenged the FTC’s foundational assumptions.
They argue the market is far broader than the FTC claims, pointing to fierce competition from TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). They say defining Meta’s competition as merely Snapchat and MeWe creates an artificially narrow lens and obscures the tech ecosystem’s complexity.
As part of its defense, Meta has presented data indicating that TikTok’s massive user base has been a drag on Meta’s growth. An outage on TikTok earlier this year reportedly drove a spike in Instagram traffic—Meta claims this is proof that the platforms are in direct competition.
In a final twist, Meta has criticized the Trump administration for allegedly applying uneven pressure: coming down hard on Meta while extending a pause on a legislated ban of TikTok, a China-based platform with geopolitical implications.