Big Tech on Trial

Big Tech on Trial

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April 2025

"This Shit Is Getting Scary": Fear and Loathing in Menlo Park
Day 10 of FTC v. Meta Platforms took another look at the WhatsApp buy with Meta COO, Javier Olivan, and then went back to third parties with Apple.
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Brendan Benedict
9
Does Meta Really Compete with Reddit, Twitter, Strava, and Pinterest?
As we enter the third week of trial, we're learning a lot more about the landscape of social (and not-so-social) media. We also go deep into the cloud…
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Brendan Benedict
5
What Was WhatsApp Worth?
A flurry of expert and third-party witnesses on Days 7 and 8 of FTC v. Meta Platforms reveals details about WhatsApp's valuation and insights into…
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Brendan Benedict
3
"A Lot of Emotion": The Rocky Marriage of Instagram and Facebook
With Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom on the stand, the sixth day of the FTC v. Meta trial was the government's strongest yet.
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Brendan Benedict
10
The Bidding War: How Sequoia's Whisper Campaign Led to A $19 Billion WhatsApp Buyout
Day 5 of the FTC trial rounded out the WhatsApp story, taking us through an admitted rumor, a timely run-in that leaked a Google meeting, and some very…
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Brendan Benedict
4
Will A Court Really Take Away Google's Monopoly? The Antitrust Remedy Phase Starts.
Judge Amit Mehta held the first day of hearings on how to cure Google's illegal monopoly power. The government made a strong showing, while Google…
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Matt Stoller
1
TikTok Is "Not A Social Network"
Meta's relentless focus on TikTok as a competitor blows up in Day 4 of FTC v. Meta trial. That's good for the FTC.
 • 
Brendan Benedict
9
Google Loses the Adtech Monopolization Case
Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled against the search giant for its control over the software underpinning online ad buying. Now it's on to the remedy.
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Matt Stoller
Lean In: Witness Work and the Will to Monopoly Power
On Day 3, cross and re-direct of Mark Zuckerberg concluded, and Sheryl Sandberg shivved the FTC with kindness.
 • 
Brendan Benedict
2
Zuckerberg v. Zuckerberg: Will the Real Facebook Founder Please Stand Up?
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg does his best Bill Gates impression dodging questions during Day 2 of the FTC's antitrust trial to break up Meta.
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Brendan Benedict
5
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