Judge James Boasberg ruled in favor of Meta Platforms in a Washington federal court, determining the company does not need to undo its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp as it does not constitute a monopoly. The decision rests on Meta's declining market share amid rising competition from platforms like TikTok and YouTube. While Meta continues to generate massive revenues, the judge emphasized the market's evolution toward AI-driven content.
On Tuesday, November 18, 2025, federal judge James Boasberg ruled in Washington that Meta Platforms did not violate U.S. antitrust law by acquiring Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued the company in 2020, arguing these purchases reinforced a monopoly in personal social networks focused on connections between friends and family. However, Boasberg concluded that the FTC failed to prove Meta holds current monopoly power.
The judge noted that the market has changed dramatically over the past decade due to technological advances, artificial intelligence, and social norms. “Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have evolved to have virtually identical core features,” Boasberg wrote. Meta's popular features are now “indistinguishable from those offered by TikTok and YouTube.” Meta's historical edge, the “social graph” of friends and family networks, has weakened; long-time users' friend lists are often outdated, making content less engaging.
On Facebook, users spend only 17% of their time on friends' content, and on Instagram, just 7%. This has been replaced by AI-recommended short videos from strangers. TikTok and YouTube lead in social video with advanced algorithms, and Meta's market share, measured by usage time, is below 50% and declining since 2018, when TikTok emerged as a dominant competitor.
Christopher Sgro, Meta spokesperson, stated: “Today's court decision recognizes that Meta faces strong competition.” Despite the win, Meta is expected to generate about US$200 billion in revenue this year with a market cap over US$1.5 trillion. The FTC did not comment immediately. This case is part of antitrust suits against tech giants, with prior rulings against Google.