Zuckerberg"s 20-year-old statement has become a serious problem for Meta

Mark Zuckerberg's old statement could have serious consequences for Meta

As reported by The New York Times, a statement made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg almost two decades ago has turned into a real headache for the tech giant. In 2006, at the dawn of Facebook's formation, Zuckerberg said: "Facebook is real connections with real friends." Today, these words could play a fatal role in an antitrust case, becoming key evidence of the company's anti-competitive policy.

Judicial authorities are considering this statement as possible evidence of Meta's pursuit of market dominance and suppression of competition. Particular attention was drawn to the mention that Facebook had only two competitors, significantly lagging behind in audience size.

Meta is actively preparing its line of defense, insisting on a radical change in the market situation: Facebook's user base has decreased, and the main rivals now are TikTok and YouTube. The outcome of the litigation could radically change the landscape of the technology industry.

Earlier, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought serious charges against Meta for monopolizing the market. According to the regulator, the acquisition of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 was a strategic move to eliminate potential competitors. Internal documents are cited as evidence, where Zuckerberg allegedly considered buying Instagram as a method to neutralize competition.

Currently, Mark Zuckerberg is forced to personally defend his company's interests in court. In case of an unfavorable outcome, Meta faces forced restructuring.