“A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday ruled Meta did not break antitrust laws by illegally stifling competition through its purchases of Instagram and WhatsApp, a defining win for the tech giant as it seeks to expand its dominance in the AI era.” - Axios

What was the illegal part?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had contended that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 were part of a strategy to eliminate emerging competitors.

However, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled that the agency failed to demonstrate that Meta currently possesses monopoly power. This decision was based on the rise of competitors, particularly TikTok and YouTube, which complicate any narrow definition of “personal social networking.”

It is my suspicion the FTC did not understand how to argue their case given the rampant confusion regarding market definitions and business model that the government has struggled with to this day.