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ARTICLE · 28 NOVEMBER 2025

FTC v. Meta Platforms—Market Definition In Rapidly Changing Industries: Where Heraclitus Meets Antitrust

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Meta defeated the FTC's monopolization suit seeking to unwind its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. A U.S. District Court found that the FTC had failed to prove that Meta currently holds monopoly power in a relevant market.

United StatesAntitrust/Competition Law
James Fishkin
James Fishkin
Ross Ufberg
Ross Ufberg
Yosef (Yosi) Weitzman
Yosef (Yosi) Weitzman

Key Takeaways

  • Meta defeated the FTC's monopolization suit seeking to unwind its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. A U.S. District Court found that the FTC had failed to prove that Meta currently holds monopoly power in a relevant market.
  • The Court's focus on market conditions in 2025 rather than market conditions at the time of the years-old acquisitions (from 2012 and 2014) was pivotal in its decision. This framing offers lessons about accounting for changes in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
  • The Court found that Meta's "fiercest rival" today is TikTok. That finding illustrates just how quickly technology markets change; the Court had not even mentioned TikTok in either of its opinions in 2021 or 2022.

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