“Many more times than not, when we’ve tried to build a new app, it hasn’t gotten a lot of traction,” Zuckerberg said.
Zuckerberg Testifies: “Building a New App Is Hard”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the witness stand for a second consecutive day to defend the company’s decisions to acquire Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.
Lawyers for the FTC questioned whether Meta could have developed its own products to compete instead of purchasing the competition.
“I’m sure we could have built an app,” Zuckerberg admitted. “Whether it would have succeeded or not I think is a matter of speculation.”
Meta Says Competition Is Fierce
In its defense, Meta argues that the social media market is highly competitive, pointing to the success of platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter).
The company insists that its acquisitions were not anticompetitive but strategic investments in innovative technology.
Zuckerberg testified that Instagram was acquired for its advanced camera technology, not its social network features.
