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Today's Featured Content Meta Wins FTC Fight, Keeps Instagram Growth Machine IntactWritten by Leo Miller. Published 11/23/2025. 
Key Points - Meta Platforms has been embroiled in a monumental Federal Trade Commission lawsuit.
- Losing the trial would have devastated the company's social media empire.
- After its legal win, Meta will retain Instagram, an essential growth driver today. It will also hold on to WhatsApp, a platform with significant untapped potential.
Magnificent Seven giant Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) just had a major burden removed. In April, MarketBeat detailed Meta's legal battle, a case that at times threatened the company's future. Trump's Next Export Ban Could Reshape the Global Economy
It's not semiconductors, AI chips or quantum computers. But none of those technologies can exist without it. On January 19th, 2026, Trump is expected to ban exports of something every tech company desperately needs—forcing them all to relocate to U.S. soil. See what he's about to ban here… Meta prevailed. Below we explain the outcome of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit and what it means going forward — but first, why this trial mattered so much. Losing Instagram and WhatsApp Would Have Shaken Meta to Its Core In 2020 the FTC sued Meta, alleging the company engaged in anti-competitive practices by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp and that those purchases gave Meta excessive market power in social media. After the litigation was dismissed and reopened multiple times, the trial finally began on April 14, 2025. In the worst-case scenario, Meta could have been forced to divest Instagram and/or WhatsApp — two businesses central to its future prospects. Instagram in particular has been a massive growth driver for Meta. eMarketer notes that Instagram accounted for roughly 7% of Meta's U.S. advertising revenue a decade ago. It estimates Instagram's share will exceed 50% in 2025 and top 53% in 2026. eMarketer also estimates that Instagram monetizes users more effectively than other major platforms — projecting nearly $250 per user on average in 2025, about 90% higher than TikTok's $132 estimate and more than six times YouTube's $40 estimate. (These figures were released at the end of 2024 and may have changed since.) Those figures underscore how vital Instagram is to Meta's growth. Losing it would have eliminated arguably the company's most important revenue driver. WhatsApp, while currently generating lower revenue — likely around $2 billion today — represents a large opportunity. Analysts at Wolfe Research estimate WhatsApp's total addressable market at roughly $30 billion to $40 billion annually. Meta reports WhatsApp-related activity inside its "Other Revenue" line. Other Revenue last quarter was $690 million, up about 59% year over year. WhatsApp is therefore a strategic asset Meta has strong incentives to keep and grow. Crisis Averted: Meta Puts FTC Lawsuit to Bed On Nov. 18, Judge James Boasberg ruled against the FTC and in Meta's favor. The company will not be required to divest Instagram or WhatsApp — a monumental win. The judge concluded that, although Meta may have had monopoly power in the past, it does not hold monopoly power now given the significant competitive pressure it faces, especially from TikTok. When the case began in 2020, TikTok was still early in its rise; at trial Meta acknowledged it faces "fierce competition." On the day of the decision, Meta shares closed down roughly 0.7% versus the S&P 500's 0.9% loss — a muted reaction reflecting that the market largely expected this outcome. Still, removing the existential threat of forced divestiture is an unambiguous positive, allowing Meta to focus on long-term strategy and competing in the evolving social media landscape. Meta's Recent Fall Needs Important Context Meta shares have fallen about 22% since the company's Q3 earnings release. Part of that decline is company-specific, but the broader S&P 500 technology sector has also slid, down roughly 10% over the same period. So while Meta's drop reflects internal concerns, it has been materially amplified by general weakness in tech stocks. Despite the pullback, Wall Street analysts remain generally bullish. The MarketBeat consensus price target of $825 implies about 40% upside from current levels. Among analysts issuing price targets after Meta's Q3 report, the average target is $852, suggesting potential upside of nearly 45%.
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