This decision marks a setback for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which sued Meta in 2020, accusing it of creating a monopoly in the social media market by buying its competitors.

Judge James Boasberg concluded that, the FTC failed to prove Meta currently holds monopoly power in the social media space stating that, the landscape is constantly evolving with competitors like TikTok and YouTube gaining ground. He emphasized that, Meta’s market share appears to be shrinking, and the FTC did not meet the burden of proof needed for the case.

Meta welcomed the ruling saying, it shows the company faces strong competition. The judge also highlighted that, the FTC originally approved both the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions at the time. The FTC had argued, Meta overpaid to eliminate rivals, but the court found no ongoing monopoly to justify the legal challenge