At the start of the antitrust trial that could ask Meta to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp, its CEO Mark Zuckerberg was more combative and prepared than earlier. After several court cases and Congressional testimonies over various scandals, the 40-year old is experienced and mature in handling such challenges. But the trial that started on Monday (Apr 14) could be the most testing one for him. Because this time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is accusing Meta of violating US antitrust laws in acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp. Using his own emails from as far back as 2011, the FTC lawyers are arguing that he used a 'buy or bury strategy', meaning it was a choice between competing with or buying out the then-main rival social media platforms of Facebook. The seven hours of testimony at the US District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington DC is the latest of Zuckerberg's high-profile public appearances. 

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Even the company's renaming in 2021 was an attempt to make the public forget the shady history of Facebook.

He is playing it differently now. He was at the White House before the trial started, which is being seen as an attempt to settle the FTC lawsuit.

What gives him the smug confidence is the unwavering stock price of Meta. Investor confidence only rose and the stock is valued double than his first appearances in Congress.

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The many trials of Mark Zuckerberg

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Legend has it that Zuckerberg started his first social network, The Facebook, from his dorm room at the Harvard University in 2004.

Since then, Congressional depositions, Senate and House committee appearances, and lawsuits hounded  Zuckerberg. Either in person or through his lawyers, he has testified at least eight times before the US Congress and appeared as witness in court cases at least twice.

These cases and testimonies were on user data privacy, child safety and disinformation on his social media assets like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. He has also faced questions on social media regulation, competition, and the future of digital platforms. 

Here is a look at some of them:

2010: the first major appearance that made Zuckerberg sweat

When his company was still called Facebook, Zuckerberg literally sweated at a public appearance. That was not even a trial or congressional deposition but an interview at a technology conference. During an interview at the AllThingsD conference with Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, Zuckerberg struggled to answer questions on user privacy on Facebook. He was caught on camera sweating so profusely that at one point, he had to take off his hoodie.

 

2018 testimony before Congress 

This was Zuckerberg's first major appearance before the US Congress, for which he was prepared by lawyers for two weeks. There were three continuous hearings over two days, where he faced accusations of lying. 

It was mainly about Facebook giving political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica access to user data without consent.

At the jampacked appearances, he gave non-answers to many questions as he was schooled by his lawyers, often saying, 'my team will get back to you'.

At the US Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees, Zuckerberg faced questions about how Facebook mishandled user data, essentially allowing it to be harvested by Cambridge Analytica. 

In the same year, he also faced the House of Representatives Committee on data breaches and spread of misinformation campaigns through its platform.

This was particularly on the spread of misleading content and fake news, in the wake of the election of Donald Trump as US president.

2019 House hearing on cryptocurrency Libra

Zuckerberg was questioned by the US House Financial Services Committee on the cryptocurrency Libra.

While the main topic was on Libra's safety and security features, he also faced questions about misinformation spreading through political ads on Facebook.

Zuckerberg often found it difficult to answer the questions.

 

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He was accused of steamrolling everyone: business rivals, people of colour, women, and even the American democracy.

He argued that Libra could improve financial inclusion and ease global payments, but eventually, the project was delayed.

2020 Congressional hearings of Big Tech firms


Zuckerberg was one of the tech CEOs summoned by the House Judiciary Committee hearing.

He was more prepared and polished in those hearings.

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2021 testimonies on disinformation on social media 

Zuckerberg was summoned by a House of Representatives panel on disinformation spreading in social media. This time also, he was one of the CEOs testifying, along with top brass of Twitter and Google.

 

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The same year, he faced the Senate Judiciary Committee on antitrust concerns faced by Meta over Facebook’s acquisitions, particularly Instagram and WhatsApp. He argued that the acquisitions were aimed at innovation and more value to users.

In arguments that he repeated on Monday's court appearance, he said Facebook faced competition from other platforms like Google and Twitter, implying that Mea was not a monopoly.

2022 FTC antitrust hearings 

This was Meta's first major hearing before the FTC on acquisitions and antitrust concerns.

Zuckerberg defended the company’s acquisitions, specifically of the virtual reality firm Oculus, as 'strategic decisions' to create long-term value for the company and its users. 

2023 US House Judiciary Committee on antitrust and data privacy

At this hearing, Zuckerberg defended Meta’s practices, emphasising that Facebook users had control over their data and that the company had complied with relevant privacy laws. 

2024 public apology in hearing on child deaths due to online bullying

Zuckerberg appeared at a Congressional hearing on child online safety. He was asked to apologise to parents of children who died as a result of bullying and other issues fuelled by Facebook and Instagram. Addressing the parents present, he apologised for their loss.

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Besides these, he testified at a Dallas court on intellectual property theft claims by a video game company, ZeniMax Media in 2017. In 2023, he testified in San Jose, California on a trial against Meta’s acquisition of Within, a virtual reality firm.