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Zuckerberg Denies Buying Rival Apps To Eliminate Them

The Straits Times

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April 18, 2025

He Testifies TikTok Is Biggest Threat To Instagram And Facebook

Zuckerberg Denies Buying Rival Apps To Eliminate Them

WASHINGTON - Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on April 16 denied in court that his company bought rival services Instagram and WhatsApp to neutralize them, as his testimony in a landmark antitrust case came to a close.

The case could see the Facebook owner forced to sell the two apps, which have grown into global powerhouses since their buyout.

During his third and final day on the stand in a federal courtroom in Washington, Mr. Zuckerberg took aim at the Federal Trade Commission's main argument — that Facebook, since renamed Meta, devoured what it saw as competitive threats.

The co-founder of Facebook responded "No" when asked by Meta attorney Mark Hansen if his intent was to eliminate rivals with the purchases of photo-sharing app Instagram and messaging service WhatsApp.

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