Kevin Systrom, co-founder of Instagram, recently testified in a significant federal antitrust trial against Meta, claiming that after the company's acquisition in 2012, Instagram was deliberately denied essential resources. Systrom stated, “Mark was not investing in Instagram because he believed we were a threat to their growth.” His testimony challenges Meta’s defense, asserting that the company enacted a "buy-or-bury strategy" to eliminate competition.

Despite Instagram growing to one billion users, Systrom highlighted that it had only a fraction of the employees compared to Facebook, leading to baffling decisions regarding resource allocation. He emphasized, “We were by far the fastest-growing team… I felt like we should have been much larger.” Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg claimed in his testimony that Meta was actively investing in Instagram, a statement Systrom contradicted by stating that their spam control was already effective, relying on technology from Amazon prior to Meta's involvement.

As the government argues for breaking up Meta, the case showcases a critical examination of how large tech companies potentially stifle competition. This testimony from Systrom further solidifies the ongoing scrutiny of Meta’s market dominance.
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