Key Takeaways
- Mark Zuckerberg reportedly attempted to settle the FTC’s $30 billion antitrust case with a $450 million offer, expecting political support from President Donald Trump.
- The trial accuses Meta of monopolistic practices aimed at eliminating competition.
- Zuckerberg has made recent attempts to gain favor with the Trump administration.
Last month, the Meta CEO reportedly offered $450 million to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) $30 billion lawsuit against Meta before it went to trial.
Zuckerberg and Trump’s relationship has been strained over the past decade despite the Meta CEO’s recent attempts to get closer to the President.
Zuckerberg’s Settlement Offer
According to a Washington Post report, Zuckerberg called the head of the FTC in March to offer a $450 million settlement to resolve the lawsuit outside of court.
This offer was significantly lower than the $30 billion the FTC seeks.
During the phone call, Zuckerberg reportedly expressed confidence that President Trump would support him against the FTC, according to individuals familiar with the matter.
However, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson rejected the offer, saying they would require at least $18 billion and a consent decree.
Following the denial, Meta raised its offer to $1 billion and pursued additional support, sources said.
According to one person familiar with the matter, Meta’s low initial offers reflected the company’s belief that the FTC’s case was weak.
Former FTC Chair Lina Khan told the Washington Post:
“Mark bought his way out of competing, so I’m not surprised that he thinks he can buy his way out of law enforcement, too. His proposed remedy, like his market strategy, is: ‘Let my illegal monopoly keep monopolizing.’”
FTC’s Case Against Meta
The lawsuit originated in December 2020, when the FTC sued Meta—then known as Facebook—for allegedly stifling competition and freezing out smaller startups.
Although a judge dismissed the case in 2021, the FTC refiled a more detailed version months later.
The most recent complaint accuses Meta of building a monopoly and implementing a strategy to “eliminate” competitive threats.
Meta has vigorously denied the allegations, arguing that it faces strong competition from other platforms, including Elon Musk’s X.
Trial Underway
Despite Zuckerberg’s attempts to settle, the trial began on Monday, and the Meta CEO has spent several hours on the witness stand.
On Tuesday, April 15, he was questioned whether Facebook’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram was intended to “neutralize” competition.
The trial will last approximately eight weeks, with a list of current and former Meta executives scheduled to testify.
Zuckerberg and Trump
Over the past decade, Zuckerberg’s relationship with Trump has been extremely turbulent.
In 2017, Trump marked Facebook as one of his biggest enemies, accusing the platform of bias and censorship.
Following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Meta suspended Trump from its platforms. Zuckerberg stated that the risks of allowing the then-outgoing President to remain on Facebook and Instagram were too great.
“We are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks, until the peaceful transition of power is complete,” he said at the time.
Though Trump was reinstated on Meta’s platforms in 2023, he continued to criticize the company.
As recently as March 2024, Trump labeled the company an “enemy of the people.” However, since Trump’s return to office, Meta and Zuckerberg have made efforts to rebuild the relationship.
In January 2025, Meta announced a dramatic reversal in its content moderation strategy.
The company abandoned third-party fact-checking in favor of a community-driven system similar to the one used by Musk’s X.
The move came after years of complaints from Trump and his allies, who accused Meta of censorship and violating free speech principles.
In a video released in January, Zuckerberg voiced alignment with the new administration:
“We’re going to work with President Trump to push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more.”
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
