Technology

Zuckerberg Forced to Confront Past Comments He Might Have to ‘Spin Out’ Social Media Apps

The Federal Trade Commission argued in an antitrust trial that Meta engaged in monopoly practices by buying Instagram and WhatsApp.

Mark Zuckerberg at Trump's inauguration.
Mark Zuckerberg (C), the CEO of Meta, attends Donald Trumpâs inauguration as the next President of the United States in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 20 January 2025. Trump, who defeated Kamala Harris, is being sworn in today as the 47th president of the United States, though the planned outdoor ceremonies and events have been cancelled due to a forecast of extreme cold temperatures. Photo by: Shawn Thew/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Shawn Thew/picture-alliance/dpa/AP

By Samuel Larreal

April 15, 2025 08:16 PM

Mark Zuckerberg has known for years that this week could come.

In court on Tuesday, Federal Trade Commission attorney Daniel Matheson asked the Meta CEO to explain an email he sent executives in 2018 warning of “a non-trivial chance that we will be forced to spin out Instagram and perhaps WhatsApp in the next 5-10 years anyways.”

“I just wanted to be mindful that we should have a strategy that is creating the most value for the people we’re trying to serve, taking into account the direction that the politics seemed to be going at that time,” Zuckerberg responded.