U.S. Media: Meta Antitrust Case "Bargaining" Negotiations Fail

According to the Wall Street Journal, Meta Platforms (META.O) CEO Mark Zuckerberg called the head of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at the end of March, offering a condition: Meta would pay $450 million to settle a long-standing antitrust case about to go to trial. This offer was far below the $30 billion demanded by the Federal Trade Commission.

According to sources, during the call, Zuckerberg sounded confident, believing that President Trump would support him in the Federal Trade Commission. Meanwhile, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson found the proposal untrustworthy and was not prepared to accept any settlement option below $18 billion without a consent decree.

Sources say that as the trial approached, Meta even raised its offer to nearly $1 billion. The former Federal Trade Commission chair stated that the company's $450 million settlement proposal was "delusional."