As the tech world evolves, so do the promises its biggest players once made. In recent years, tech giants like Google and OpenAI have quietly revised or removed long-standing ethical pledges. Now, Facebook — or rather, Meta — is the latest to shed its idealistic skin.
Mark Zuckerberg admitted this week that Facebook’s original mission, “to connect and share with the people in your life,” is no longer the company’s core focus. Testifying during a federal antitrust case, the Meta CEO described the platform as having shifted into a “broad discovery and entertainment space,” with less emphasis on fostering personal connections.
What was once a social hub is now more of a content machine — an endless AI-curated feed designed for maximum engagement and ad impressions.
FTC showdown with Meta
Zuckerberg’s testimony came as part of a high-stakes federal antitrust lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC alleges that Meta, under Zuckerberg’s leadership, followed a strategy of acquiring potential rivals instead of competing with them — a practice that has come under increasing scrutiny in the tech sector.
Internal messages from Zuckerberg dating back to 2008 suggested a “buy, not compete” approach, notably with Instagram. The $1 billion acquisition in 2012 was framed as a defensive move against fast-growing competitors like Twitter.
The FTC now faces the task of proving those acquisitions violated US antitrust laws, a challenge given America’s permissive standards. Judge James Boasberg, overseeing the case, has already expressed skepticism about whether the FTC’s arguments can hold up.