'The aim was not to eliminate competition by buying Instagram and WhatsApp', Zuckerberg clarified

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg concluded his testimony in a historic antitrust trial Wednesday. Meta's chief executive explained in court that his intention to acquire Instagram and WhatsApp was not to eliminate these companies, but they were bought keeping in sight the potential that lay in them.

During the third day of testimony, Zuckerberg said, "My job is to understand what is new in the market and motivate our team to work rapidly in that direction." He also said that analyzing the competition is important for any innovative company.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) claimed that Zuckerberg was nervous about the rapidly growing popularity of Instagram, and so he decided to buy the company. To this, Zuckerberg replied that his objective was to run Instagram as an independent brand, not to end it.

The FTC also alleges that Meta tried to eliminate competition by buying WhatsApp. Zuckerberg admitted that he understood the power of WhatsApp, but the purpose of the purchase was that it was an important and valuable app that was used a lot.

Meta's lawyer Mark Hansen said that Meta is still facing tough competition from companies like TikTok and YouTube. Zuckerberg also admitted that people spend more time on YouTube than on both Facebook and Instagram.

The FTC is trying to prove in this lawsuit that Meta created an illegal monopoly in social media by buying Instagram and WhatsApp. If the FTC wins the case, it is possible that Meta may have to separate these two companies.

This case was registered in the year 2020 when the FTC filed a lawsuit against Meta (then Facebook) during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump. The case is being heard in court by US District Judge James Boasberg.