In its antitrust case against Meta, the US Federal Trade Commission is asking a judge to consider an alternate reality. In that world, the company never bought Instagram and WhatsApp. The two apps remained competitive with Facebook, developing features that competed for users’ attention. And that competition created a thriving ecosystem of social media apps where people can connect with their friends and family.

Meta has spent the past several days – during which it’s begun lodging its case-in-chief in a Washington, DC, courthouse – building a counternarrative. In its telling of this alternate present, Instagram and WhatsApp are shadows of what they are in our world. They lacked the resources, expertise, and vision to become robust and valuable online platforms, let alone formidable competitors. And consumers are the ones who ultimately suffered.

One of Meta’s key witnesses for this defense is WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton, who was called on Tuesday to help make its case that WhatsApp users, just like Instagram ones, benefited from Meta’s acquisition. Acton was the second app founder to testify in the case, after Instagram cofounder Kevin Systrom delivered mostly blistering te …

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