Systrom Testifies Against Meta in Antitrust Case

Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom testified in the US Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against Meta, alleging that CEO Mark Zuckerberg intentionally restricted Instagram’s growth after its acquisition to protect Facebook’s dominance. Systrom described how requests for resources were routinely denied, despite Instagram being the fastest-growing team, and claimed Zuckerberg viewed Instagram's success as detrimental to Facebook’s user growth. He cited examples, such as Facebook assigning hundreds of employees to video development while Instagram received none, and underfunding in areas like privacy and Stories. Systrom’s testimony supports the FTC’s argument that Meta acquired Instagram to neutralize competition and then systematically limited its development, ultimately harming consumer choice. Zuckerberg has denied these accusations, but Systrom’s remarks reinforced the FTC’s core claim of anti-competitive behavior. The outcome of the trial could lead to Meta being required to divest Instagram and WhatsApp.