Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in the FTC antitrust trial against Meta reveals significant insights into the company's acquisition strategy. In 2012 emails, he acknowledged the potential threat posed by nascent competitors like Path and Instagram, suggesting that acquiring them would prevent future disruption. This tactic reflects a broader approach within Meta to quickly integrate features of potential rivals, thereby maintaining control of its market position. Meta's response in court frames the FTC's accusations as unfounded, yet the email evidence raises questions about the ethics of its competitive practices.
Critics say the email chain reflects Meta's broader strategy-something Zuckerberg himself outlined in a subsequent 2012 email: "Even if some new competitors springs [sic] up, buying Instagram, Path, Foursquare, etc now will give us a year or more to integrate their dynamics before anyone can get close to their scale again."
Zuckerberg discusses acquiring Path and Instagram, both emerging competitors at the time. "The businesses are nascent but the networks are established... if they grow to a large scale they could be very disruptive to us," Zuckerberg wrote.
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