Whatsapp co founder brian acton takes the stand – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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FTC v. Meta: the antitrust battle over Instagram and WhatsApp

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Lauren Feiner
WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton takes the stand.

Before Meta bought it, WhatsApp was moving toward a model where users would pay $1 per year for the messaging service after a free first year. Though the company was cashflow positive in early 2014, WhatsApp didn’t spend money on marketing in the US, since the wide availability of cheap or free messaging there at the time would have made it a “waste of money,” Acton says.

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