Facebook didnt fear whatsapp becoming a social competitor – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
Skip to main content
The homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.
The homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.

FTC v. Meta: the antitrust battle over Instagram and WhatsApp

See all Stories

Posted
L
Lauren Feiner
Facebook didn’t fear WhatsApp becoming a social competitor.

Olivan says “there was no signs of them morphing into anything else” besides a replacement for SMS messaging. Besides the founders’ distaste for social features, Olivan says that the way WhatsApp grew outside the US — through arbitrage of high international telecom SMS fees — didn’t exist in the US. He flatly testifies that Meta did not buy WhatsApp because it feared the app becoming a social network competitor.

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
Comments
Loading comments
Getting the conversation ready...

Most Popular

Most Popular
  1. Alex Jones has uncovered another massive conspiracy
  2. 360-degree cameras have a new superpower
  3. You’re about to feel the AI money squeeze
  4. THE PEOPLE DO NOT YEARN FOR AUTOMATION
    Video
  5. Musk vs. Altman is here, and it’s going to get messy

More in Policy

The Trump phone still isn’t realThe Trump phone still isn’t real
A new Republican privacy bill could be ‘worse than no standard at all’A new Republican privacy bill could be ‘worse than no standard at all’
Elon Musk and Sam Altman’s courtroom brawl could burn it all downElon Musk and Sam Altman’s courtroom brawl could burn it all down
US arrests soldier who allegedly made $400K on Maduro Polymarket betsUS arrests soldier who allegedly made $400K on Maduro Polymarket bets
Brendan Carr’s war on wokeness targets inclusive children’s televisionBrendan Carr’s war on wokeness targets inclusive children’s television
Democrats want to ban ICE from turning warehouses into detention centersDemocrats want to ban ICE from turning warehouses into detention centers

Top Stories