Meta antitrust trial turns to TikTok as FTC pushes monopoly case

Meta leans on TikTok’s rise to counter FTC claims of monopoly through Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.

From left, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrive to testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC, on January 31, 2024. Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Weeks into the Meta antitrust trial, the courtroom spotlight has shifted in an unexpected direction—toward one of Meta's fiercest rivals, TikTok. While the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) works to prove that Meta Platforms maintains an illegal monopoly through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, Meta is countering with a bold argument: the rise of TikTok demonstrates the vibrancy of competition in today’s social media market.

The FTC’s case hinges on the idea that Meta, through Facebook’s strategic acquisitions over a decade ago, eliminated potential threats and now dominates the space where users connect with friends and family. However, Meta’s legal team has leaned heavily into showing that the market has evolved far beyond traditional social networking—and that TikTok has become a powerful force within this new landscape.

FTC's strategy: dismantling Meta's history of acquisitions

The trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, aims to determine whether Meta's control over key platforms constitutes unlawful monopolization. The FTC argues that Meta’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram in 2012 and its $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp in 2014 were not mere business expansions, but calculated moves to snuff out competition.

The agency has introduced a trove of internal emails and presentations suggesting that Facebook executives, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg, feared Instagram and WhatsApp would erode Facebook’s market share—especially as users increasingly gravitated toward mobile platforms. In one particularly colorful 2014 email, then-senior executive Javier Olivan asked colleagues to compile a "this-sh—-is-getting-scary" presentation in response to the rising threat posed by mobile messaging apps.

Testimony from Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom added weight to the FTC’s case. Systrom testified that Meta’s management limited Instagram’s ability to independently grow after its acquisition, denying critical resources needed for video and safety features. He claimed that Instagram could have evolved into a serious competitor if it had remained independent. Yet under cross-examination, Systrom conceded that Meta’s backing also accelerated Instagram’s early growth, suggesting a more complex narrative.

Meta’s defense: competition is thriving, thanks to TikTok

To undercut the FTC’s argument, Meta has turned the focus to TikTok, portraying the Chinese-owned platform as a dominant rival. During Wednesday’s proceedings, Adam Presser, TikTok’s head of operations, testified that TikTok should not be viewed as a traditional social media app like Facebook or Instagram. Instead, he described it as an entertainment platform with social features.

“We are an app and we have social features, but I don’t think of us as a social app,” Presser told the court.

Meta’s attorneys reinforced this point by presenting internal TikTok documents that recognized Instagram and YouTube as key competitors. One document from 2021 referred to Instagram as one of TikTok’s “most important competitors.” Another statement submitted to Australian regulators noted that TikTok’s short-form video interface had become virtually indistinguishable from Instagram and YouTube.

Aaron Panner, Meta’s lead attorney, argued that TikTok’s growing similarity to traditional social media—especially through its introduction of features like a “friends” tab—blurs the lines between the platforms. Meta’s position is that social media is no longer limited to personal interactions, but has morphed into a broader landscape of video-driven content and discovery.

A court caught between definitions

The evolving nature of social media has led Judge Boasberg to question whether these platforms are truly distinct in the eyes of users. He has asked both sides whether the difference between services like Facebook and TikTok is simply a “difference in degree,” given the shared features and overlapping functionality.

The FTC remains adamant that Facebook, despite adapting to changing user behavior, still centers its experience around personal connections. The agency presented survey data and internal Meta documents emphasizing that users primarily use Facebook and Instagram to keep up with family and friends—functions that TikTok does not prioritize.

Unlike Facebook’s friend-driven content, TikTok’s algorithm-driven feed serves up videos regardless of whether users know the creators. The goal, according to Presser, is not to foster personal connections, but to retain user engagement.

Meta, in contrast, has increasingly embraced TikTok-like features. Zuckerberg testified that Facebook and Instagram now operate in a “broad discovery-entertainment space,” underscoring the transformation of these platforms from personal networking tools into entertainment hubs.

The FTC's timeline and witness strategy

With more testimony to come, the FTC is expected to spend another week building its case. The bulk of the agency’s efforts thus far have focused on proving that Meta strategically acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to eliminate competition and solidify its hold on social media.

The commission has supported its argument with statements from former employees and leaked communications. It has portrayed a company keenly aware of emerging threats, including apps that catered to mobile-first audiences in Asia. In particular, the fear of WhatsApp’s rapid growth and dominance in mobile messaging markets appears to have played a central role in Meta’s decision to acquire the platform.

The evidence suggests that Meta was focused on preserving its dominance, even if it meant absorbing potential rivals rather than allowing them to grow independently. Whether this strategy violated antitrust law, however, is ultimately the question Judge Boasberg must decide.

The legal challenge of defining monopoly in a dynamic market

At the heart of the Meta antitrust trial is a broader legal and philosophical question: how do courts define monopolistic behavior in a fast-evolving digital market? Social media today is not the same ecosystem it was a decade ago. Platforms now serve multiple purposes—connecting users, providing entertainment, disseminating news, and more.

The FTC’s challenge is to prove that despite these shifts, Meta still exerts disproportionate control over a market that remains centered around personal connections. Meta’s challenge, in turn, is to convince the court that competition is not only alive but thriving—with TikTok leading the way as proof.

As the trial continues, it will likely shape how future antitrust actions interpret the intersection of innovation, competition, and market dominance in the tech industry. The decision may set a precedent for how regulators pursue antitrust enforcement against powerful technology companies, especially in cases where the definition of a “market” is in flux.

For now, TikTok stands at the center of Meta’s defense—not as a co-defendant, but as a symbol of the dynamic competition that Meta claims undermines the very premise of the FTC’s case.