Meta’s attorney asks essentially one question of Ortega on cross-examination: does Strava compete with Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter for workout content? Ortega says these apps “can compete for content related to workouts,” and then is excused from the stand.
Unless that baby is in a running stroller, Ortega testifies. He’s helping the FTC make an important point about why it thinks the market Meta monopolizes should be considered distinct from other kinds of social apps: even though users can upload whatever they want through Strava’s post feature, that doesn’t mean they will stray from the norms of the app. “It’s all about fitness, and while you can post other stuff, it just doesn’t seem as relevant,” Ortega says.
Former VP of connected partnerships Mateo Ortega takes the stand to talk about the fitness app. It’s the second witness today who the FTC hopes will help distinguish Facebook and Instagram from other social apps. Ortega says he doesn’t really think of Strava as a social network, though in marketing it’s described itself as one specifically for athletes.
While looking at a 2015 survey where nearly a third of US social media users said they come to Twitter to keep up with friends and family, Coleman says that likely represents a misunderstanding of the product at the time. He says the survey “predates” when the company took steps to clarify how it was different from other social platforms by focusing on helping people connect with their interests.
Meta’s attempt to characterize X as a closer competitor to Facebook and Instagram appears to backfire. Coleman is surprised at how X describes itself in its own help center as a “service for friends, family, and coworkers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.” He says that’s not how most people would describe the service and says, “I don’t know who wrote that.” Coleman adds, “That’s pretty wacky.”
In a 2018 email, then-CEO Jack Dorsey responded to an employee question asking whether Twitter “should serve personal social network (conversation among acquaintances)” in addition to facilitating public conversations. Dorsey responded, “Yes, but we have to pick one to optimize for. There’s already a service out there that does personal network well, so let’s focus on our strength of interest network.” The FTC is trying to bolster its argument that Meta competes in a distinct market for personal social networking services, where users go to connect with friends and family.
Coleman says that just because X competes with everything from TV and screaming children for people’s attention, it’s not that useful to think of competition that way to improve a product. “It’s much more helpful to understand what people are trying to accomplish in their lives and to try to help them accomplish that,” he says. Once Jack Dorsey became CEO of Twitter, Coleman says, the company determined it was most useful for helping people follow the news and their interests.
The judge seems flummoxed by the platform’s reply feature. He asks what’s the point of responding to a tweet from a celebrity, like LeBron James. “He doesn’t care,” Boasberg says. Coleman says that part of what makes X special is that it’s “not uncommon for the public figures to reply back.”
We’re kicking off the third week of trial with X VP of Product Keith Coleman. He will help establish the relevant market that Meta competes in for this case. Coleman testifies that the core use case of X is talking about things that are happening in the world.
