Years after the Federal Commerce Fee sued Meta in a bid to halt acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, the trial that may form its future is lastly underway. The trial kicked off final month when CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand, and it’s anticipated to final a number of weeks.
Fb’s 2012 acquisition of Instagram is a central a part of the FTC’s case towards Meta. The federal government says Zuckerberg purchased Instagram to neutralize it as a competitor. When Instagram’s cofounder and former CEO Kevin Systrom took the stand, he didn’t precisely defend the transfer. Whereas Zuckerberg had testified Meta had helped Instagram develop, Systrom testified Zuckerberg noticed Instagram as a “risk” to Fb’s development and deliberately withheld firm sources.
Additional nonetheless, Fb’s resolution to pay $1 billion for Instagram — an app with no income and only a handful of staff — appeared like an unbelievable sum. Sheryl Sandberg thought Zuckerberg had overpaid for Instagram. In an change between the 2 from 2012, she stated, “Sure, in fact it’s manner an excessive amount of.”
There are extra nuggets, too. Like how Meta sees TikTok as an earnest risk, how Europeans aren’t shopping for the ad-free subscriptions (duh), and why Zuckerberg considered nuking customers’ good friend lists yearly to spice up engagement. Learn Karissa Bell’s full breakdown of the FTC v. Meta antitrust trial to date.
— Mat Smith
Get Engadget's publication delivered direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
The largest tech tales you may need missed
-
The very best health trackers for 2025
-
Tesla’s Robotaxi model is perhaps too generic to trademark
-
The enshitification of YouTube’s full album playlists
-
The way to use a VPN on Roku
-
Nintendo’s Swap 2 gross sales forecast predicts 15 million consoles in its first fiscal yr
Samsung plans an Unpacked occasion for its slim S25 Edge
Thinner, costlier?
Samsung is able to lastly launch its slim iteration of the S25. It says it’ll provide a have a look at “the following evolution of Galaxy” units and unveil “extra in regards to the newest addition to the Galaxy S sequence.” Then the teaser coaxed one thing “past slim.” So it’s the S25 Edge, even when Samsung isn’t saying the S25 Edge. The Unpacked occasion will kick off Might 12 at 8PM ET.
A militia group thinks NOAA’s radars are ‘climate weapons’
They aren’t.
The Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has warned the Nationwide Climate Service of doable assaults from an armed conspiracy group. Based on a report from CNN, the group Veterans on Patrol goes after authorities radars as a result of it believes they’re getting used as “climate weapons.” Regardless of its cooler-than-average title, the NEXRAD or Subsequent Era Climate Radar is pretty mundane, utilized by NWS to detect precipitation within the environment. NEXRAD performs a significant position in finding thunderstorms and tornados. Nationwide Climate Service workers have been suggested to buddy up when working at distant radar websites and report something suspicious to the authorities.
What to anticipate from Google I/O 2025
Android 16, Gemini and extra.
Google I/O 2025 must be one of many extra thrilling tech keynotes in current reminiscence. Plus, for the primary time, Google has spun out a devoted Android showcase an entire week earlier. What can we count on to see in Android 16? We’ve had plenty of hints at an upcoming design change to the platform, reportedly referred to as Materials 3 Expressive. A leaked weblog publish discusses the analysis behind Materials 3 Expressive and the way the visible overhaul led to motion parts standing out extra and larger responsiveness on the customers’ half. Then there are Gemini AI updates, extra Google service updates and every part else. We break down what we’re anticipating to see.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/common/the-morning-after-engadget-newsletter-122022797.html?src=rss
