The trial between the US Federal Trade Commission and Meta began this week—and the future of the company is at stake. The FTC wants Meta to sell off two prized assets, Instagram and WhatsApp, arguing that it acquired them illegally to suppress competition.

Meta Platforms Inc. faces a historic antitrust trial Monday that could force the tech giant to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups it bought more than a decade ago that have since grown into so

WASHINGTON—Facebook parent Meta Platforms faces a high-stakes trial in Washington starting on Monday on claims it built an illegal social media monopoly by spending billions of dollars to acquire Instagram and WhatsApp, in a case where U.S. antitrust enforcers seek to unwind the deals.