Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, took the stand in a Washington, DC courthouse this week to defend his company's acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram in a trial brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC alleges that Meta bought the two apps to eliminate them as competitors, but Zuckerberg argued that the acquisitions were meant to improve the apps and expand Meta's offerings.

Zuckerberg's testimony, which spanned roughly 13 hours over three days, was a key moment in the trial. The FTC is seeking to unwind the acquisitions, which it claims were anticompetitive and harmed consumers. Zuckerberg, however, maintained that he bought WhatsApp and Instagram to invest in their growth and development, not to stifle competition.

During his testimony, Zuckerberg acknowledged that WhatsApp's growing popularity had caught his attention, but he claimed that he was not worried about the app competing with Facebook. Instead, he saw WhatsApp as a valuable asset that could help Facebook navigate the shift towards private messaging. He also revealed that WhatsApp now has nearly 3 billion users and generates $10 billion in annual ad revenue.

Zuckerberg also addressed the acquisition of Instagram, which the FTC claims was bought to "neutralize" it as a competitor. However, Zuckerberg said that he wasn't worried about Instagram competing with Facebook until it reached 1 billion users, years after the acquisition. He claimed that he gave Instagram's co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, the resources they needed to scale the app and fight spam, and that Instagram's success was a result of his investment.

The court was shown internal documents and emails that revealed the thinking behind the acquisitions. In one email, Zuckerberg described WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum as "unambitious" and said that the app was not trying to expand into new areas before Facebook acquired it. Zuckerberg also revealed that he had pushed WhatsApp to add more social features, like Stories, to the app.

Zuckerberg's testimony was supported by Meta's ex-COO Sheryl Sandberg, who was called to testify later in the day. Sandberg had written an email to Zuckerberg around the time of the Instagram acquisition, saying that they were paying "way too much" for the app. However, she recanted her statement on Wednesday, saying that she was "wrong" and that Instagram's success had exceeded her expectations.

The FTC v. Meta trial is a significant antitrust case that could have far-reaching implications for the tech industry. If the FTC is successful, it could lead to the breakup of Meta's empire and set a precedent for future antitrust cases. However, if Meta prevails, it could embolden other tech giants to pursue aggressive acquisition strategies.

The trial is ongoing, with more witnesses expected to testify in the coming days. The outcome is far from certain, but one thing is clear: the stakes are high, and the tech industry is watching closely.