Jan Wolfe

So the FTC has said this is about as close to a smoking gun as you can get because their whole theory of the case is that Facebook, now Meta, bought Instagram, bought WhatsApp to neutralize competition from a startup. Why was that moment important? It's rare that you get evidence that really gets to the heart of the case like this.

So, you know, from the FTC's perspective, this is like pretty damaging. It's a real glimpse into the mindset at the time and really supports their theory that the Instagram purchase and the WhatsApp purchase was really about putting on the sidelines competition from rival upstarts.

So, you know, from the FTC's perspective, this is like pretty damaging. It's a real glimpse into the mindset at the time and really supports their theory that the Instagram purchase and the WhatsApp purchase was really about putting on the sidelines competition from rival upstarts.

So, you know, from the FTC's perspective, this is like pretty damaging. It's a real glimpse into the mindset at the time and really supports their theory that the Instagram purchase and the WhatsApp purchase was really about putting on the sidelines competition from rival upstarts.

His point is we bought Instagram because we thought it had really good technology. We wanted to incorporate it into our platform and we wanted to make it better. So Zuckerberg has pointed out that the Instagram founders stayed around for years afterward. And he says that's not consistent with the FTC's theory. He called it a buy versus build analysis.

His point is we bought Instagram because we thought it had really good technology. We wanted to incorporate it into our platform and we wanted to make it better. So Zuckerberg has pointed out that the Instagram founders stayed around for years afterward. And he says that's not consistent with the FTC's theory. He called it a buy versus build analysis.

His point is we bought Instagram because we thought it had really good technology. We wanted to incorporate it into our platform and we wanted to make it better. So Zuckerberg has pointed out that the Instagram founders stayed around for years afterward. And he says that's not consistent with the FTC's theory. He called it a buy versus build analysis.

And he says there's nothing wrong with that in the Silicon Valley context. Sometimes you just buy a startup and a startup is happy to have that exit.

And he says there's nothing wrong with that in the Silicon Valley context. Sometimes you just buy a startup and a startup is happy to have that exit.

And he says there's nothing wrong with that in the Silicon Valley context. Sometimes you just buy a startup and a startup is happy to have that exit.

So this Facebook antitrust case is very different than what he's used to handling. He's acknowledged that he's not like a tech savvy guy. And there was a tutorial before the trial where a social media analyst explained really basic concepts about social media to him. And he's like, what is tagging? I think I know what it is, but when someone says I tagged you in this, what does that mean?

So this Facebook antitrust case is very different than what he's used to handling. He's acknowledged that he's not like a tech savvy guy. And there was a tutorial before the trial where a social media analyst explained really basic concepts about social media to him. And he's like, what is tagging? I think I know what it is, but when someone says I tagged you in this, what does that mean?

So this Facebook antitrust case is very different than what he's used to handling. He's acknowledged that he's not like a tech savvy guy. And there was a tutorial before the trial where a social media analyst explained really basic concepts about social media to him. And he's like, what is tagging? I think I know what it is, but when someone says I tagged you in this, what does that mean?

So he's not like some tech expert, but you don't need to be either.

So he's not like some tech expert, but you don't need to be either.

So he's not like some tech expert, but you don't need to be either.

I mean, what Meta is saying is we compete with TikTok, we compete with iMessage, we compete with YouTube for people's screen time online. We are not primarily about friends and family. Yes, we have that use case. Yes, that's how we started. But we are a discovery portal. You come here to be entertained and find content, and then you can share that with your friends on all kinds of other platforms.

I mean, what Meta is saying is we compete with TikTok, we compete with iMessage, we compete with YouTube for people's screen time online. We are not primarily about friends and family. Yes, we have that use case. Yes, that's how we started. But we are a discovery portal. You come here to be entertained and find content, and then you can share that with your friends on all kinds of other platforms.

I mean, what Meta is saying is we compete with TikTok, we compete with iMessage, we compete with YouTube for people's screen time online. We are not primarily about friends and family. Yes, we have that use case. Yes, that's how we started. But we are a discovery portal. You come here to be entertained and find content, and then you can share that with your friends on all kinds of other platforms.

The FTC's general point about consolidation in tech, you know, there's obviously truth to the fact that there are some dominant players that have a ton of power over how we talk online and have tremendous access to our data. But when it comes to meta, I mean— These transactions, the WhatsApp and Instagram transactions, are really old. I mean, we're talking about like almost 15 years ago now.