In a remarkable twist revealed during the trial, Mark Zuckerberg seemingly predicted Meta's current antitrust predicament in a 2018 email to executives. "I'm beginning to wonder whether spinning Instagram out is the only structure that will accomplish a number of important goals," Zuckerberg wrote, adding, "As calls to break up the big tech companies grow, there is a non-trivial chance that we will be forced to spin out Instagram and perhaps WhatsApp in the next 5-10 years anyway."1 His estimate, made six years ago, proved remarkably accurate as the FTC now seeks exactly that remedy.

The email has become a focal point in the trial as the FTC uses Zuckerberg's own words to bolster its case. Interestingly, Zuckerberg also noted in the same communication that "while most companies resist breakups, the corporate history is that most companies actually perform better after they've been split up."1 This admission could potentially undermine Meta's argument that divesting Instagram and WhatsApp would harm the company's operations and innovation capabilities.

Under President Trump's second administration, the FTC's antitrust strategy has shifted dramatically toward targeted enforcement and deregulation. The agency is now pursuing a public inquiry into anti-competitive regulations, seeking to identify and eliminate rules that "exclude new market entrants, protect dominant incumbents, and predetermine economic winners and losers," according to FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson.12 This initiative aligns with Trump's Executive Order on Reducing Anticompetitive Regulatory Barriers, marking a departure from the Biden administration's broader approach that had incorporated labor markets, equity concerns, and sustainability into antitrust analysis.3

The Trump administration has also asserted unprecedented control over the FTC, traditionally an independent agency. President Trump fired the two Democratic commissioners in March 2025, claiming constitutional authority despite legal challenges based on the Supreme Court's Humphrey's Executor precedent.456 This controversial move, coupled with executive orders requiring the FTC to submit regulatory actions for White House review, signals a fundamental restructuring of antitrust enforcement that prioritizes market competition while aligning the agency more closely with presidential policy objectives.78

Instagram has become a financial powerhouse for Meta, with projections indicating it will generate over $32 billion in U.S. ad revenue in 2025, accounting for more than half of Meta's total ad revenue12. The platform's growth has been remarkable, with global revenue increasing from $49.8 billion in 2023 to an estimated $66.9 billion in 202434. This dramatic financial expansion underscores why Instagram is central to the FTC's antitrust case against Meta.

Instagram's revenue trajectory shows consistent growth since its acquisition, with earnings jumping from just $0.5 billion in 2015 to $21.8 billion in 2020, then crossing the $30 billion threshold in 20214. The platform's advertising effectiveness has made it particularly valuable, with Instagram Stories alone contributing 26.7% to Instagram's total ad revenue and generating $20.03 billion in 20235. This financial success is precisely what the FTC points to when arguing that Meta's acquisition strategy eliminated potential competition in the social media marketplace6.