Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in U.S. District Court this week, acknowledging that Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 because its in-app camera technology outperformed Facebook’s own. The revelation came during a high-stakes antitrust trial in Washington, D.C., where the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is challenging Meta’s past acquisitions. Under intense questioning from FTC lawyers, Zuckerberg conceded that Instagram’s rapid growth and superior mobile photo-sharing features posed a competitive threat to Facebook at the time. Internal emails from Zuckerberg—cited in court—suggest he may have even considered spinning off Instagram to sidestep regulatory scrutiny. Evidence presented included a 2011 email from Mark Zuckerberg to Facebook executives outlining the rationale for acquiring Instagram due to setbacks in developing Facebook Camera.