Did Donald Trump ignore Mark Zuckerberg's pleas for help? Reports say the Trump administration could rip apart his tech empire

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was in the spotlight this week as he testified for an antitrust case that might end up ripping apart his tech empire, as per a report.

FTC Goes After Meta’s Social Media Empire

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is attempting to compel Meta to spin off its valued social media properties, Instagram and WhatsApp, under the pretext that the firm has formed a monopoly, according to DailyBeast.

Mark Zuckerberg Takes the Stand to Defend Meta

According to DailyBeast, Zuckerberg spoke both Monday and Tuesday at the jury trial in the Federal Trade Commission, the trial is the agency’s first major antitrust case under the Trump administration and the biggest threat to Zuckerberg’s vast empire in his company’s 21-year history, reported DailyBeast.


FTC’s top attorney on the case, Daniel Matheson pointed out that, “For more than 100 years, American public policy has insisted firms must compete if they want to succeed,” as quoted in the report. Matheson asserted that, “The reason we are here is that Meta broke the deal. They decided that competition was too hard and it would be easier to buy out their rivals than to compete with them,” quoted DailyBeast.

However, Meta has dismissed the claims of less competition, and has argued that it still competes with social media services such as TikTok, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and YouTube with its various offerings, as per the report.

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Behind the Scenes: Zuckerberg’s Quiet Pleas to Donald Trump

While, Zuckerberg is defending his company, he has also repeatedly tried to get US president Donald Trump to settle the case, as per the Wall Street Journal. The Meta CEO even met with him in the Oval Office earlier this month to discuss a settlement, as per the report.

He has made many efforts to be on Trump’s good side, by scrapping his platforms’ content-moderation policies, donating $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, and promoting multiple Republicans to senior Meta roles and board seats, according to the Wall Street Journal.

FAQs

Did Zuckerberg meet Trump directly?
Yes, he had met with Trump in the Oval Office earlier this month to talk about the case.

Has Zuckerberg done anything else to win Trump’s favor?
He has. He removed some content-moderation policies, donated to Trump’s inauguration, and brought Republicans into senior roles at Meta.