Event
FTC v. Meta Platforms
Antitrust suit filed in December 2020 over Meta’s purchases of Instagram and WhatsApp. On 18 November 2025 the court held that the FTC had not proven Meta holds monopoly power now; the FTC said in January 2026 it would appeal.
- Dates
- Dec 2020 –
Antitrust suit filed in December 2020 over Meta’s purchases of Instagram and WhatsApp. On 18 November 2025 the court held that the FTC had not proven Meta holds monopoly power now; the FTC said in January 2026 it would appeal.
Connections 4
involved
- Meta Platforms defendant; won Primary record 123
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission plaintiff; lost at trial; said it would appeal Primary record 1
- James E. Boasberg judge who wrote the opinion Primary record 1
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia the court that heard the case Scholarship & press 3
Timeline 1 date
- Dec 2020 – FTC v. Meta Platforms
Proof 3 sources
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Federal Trade Commission v. Meta Platforms, Inc., Memorandum Opinion, No. 20-3590 (D.D.C., 18 November 2025), U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 18 Nov 2025.
Primary record
Meta’s position, conversely, is that if PSN apps were ever a separate economic unit, they no longer are.
It claims that Meta holds a monopoly in this market and, faced with challenges to its dominance, preserved its monopoly not by outcompeting its upstart rivals Instagram and WhatsApp, but by buying them.
The Court’s verdict today determines that the FTC has not done so.
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The FTC’s Weak Case Against Meta Ignores Reality, Meta, 13 Apr 2025.
Self-published
The FTC’s weak lawsuit against Meta ignores reality.
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FTC presses on with appeal after Meta’s monopoly battle win (Euronews with AP), Euronews, with the Associated Press, 21 Jan 2026.
Scholarship & press
Meta welcomed the decision at the time, asserting that the ruling was “correct” and reflected the “fierce competition” the company faces.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on Tuesday it will appeal a November court ruling in favour of Meta in its long-running antitrust battle with the social media giant.
Page history 3 changes
- Second revision of Too Big to Fail: the FTC's 1917 finding, the 1952 report's seven firms, the 1984 hearing record, and corrected cards for Spirit, beef, tickets, Google and the final verdict05663c47
- Revise Too Big to Fail after the skeptic's review: read to 2 November 2026, a verdict card that separates findings from shares, the 1929 fight with its scandal and the board's stand, and sources for every cardc819f2cb
- Add the story Too Big to Fail: Standard Oil's stockholders, the phrase's origin in 1984, and market-by-market cases to November 2026aa9c434d
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