Internal emails and documents presented at the trial have revealed Facebook’s strategy in the 2010s. Specifically:
Zuckerberg and his team were watching Instagram’s growth closely, worried about its success in mobile photography.
Plans to buy Instagram or copy its features and create their own app were considered.
Some proposals included buying Instagram, not adding new features, and prioritizing their own apps.
Zuckerberg’s confessions and plans
The Meta founder’s emails state:
“Instagram is growing very quickly. We’re adding twice as many users every two months. Every month we lose is holding us back.” — Mark Zuckerberg, September 2011
“If Instagram continues to dominate mobile or if Google buys it, that would be a big problem for us.” — Mark Zuckerberg, February 2011
“We should probably buy Instagram for $500 million.” — Mark Zuckerberg, February 2012
“Their camera and photo-information network are stronger than ours.” — Mark Zuckerberg, February 2012
How to stop the competition?
In 2012, Zuckerberg said:
“We’re going to take Instagram and leave their app unchanged. We’re not going to add any new features. But we’re going to put all the innovation into our own app. So we’re not going to ‘kill’ them, but we’re going to stop them from growing.”
“We’re essentially buying time.”
Also worth noting is Zuckerberg’s comment:
“Buying Instagram, Path, Foursquare, and others now gives us at least a year to breathe. During that time, we can learn their dynamics and other competitors won’t be able to catch up.”
What happens next?
The lawsuit is ongoing. The FTC is exposing Facebook’s “buy it or lose” strategy through these documents. If Meta loses, it could be a major turning point for the tech giant.
