In a revealing testimony during Meta's ongoing antitrust battle with the Federal Trade Commission, CEO Mark Zuckerberg disclosed several radical ideas he once considered for his social media empire, including the startling proposal to delete all Facebook users' friends lists to artificially recreate the platform's early growth experience.
The Potentially Crazy Idea to Reset Facebook
During his testimony in federal court, Zuckerberg admitted to contemplating what he himself called a potentially crazy idea in 2022. Internal emails revealed during the trial showed that as Facebook's cultural relevance appeared to be waning, the Meta CEO considered wiping everyone's friends lists clean, essentially forcing users to start from scratch. The drastic measure was conceived as a way to recapture the excitement and engagement that characterized Facebook's early days, when adding friends was a novel experience that drove platform usage.
Testing in Smaller Markets First
According to the court documents, Zuckerberg didn't plan to implement this radical change globally without testing. He proposed experimenting with the friends list reset in a smaller country first, acknowledging the significant risk such a move would carry. The Meta CEO apparently viewed Facebook's declining relevance as an existential threat to the entire company, believing that even if Instagram and WhatsApp were successful, Facebook's failure would mean Meta's failure.
Internal Pushback
The plan faced skepticism even within Meta's leadership. Tom Allison, head of Facebook, expressed doubts about the idea's chances of success, noting that friend connections represented one of the platform's most attractive features. When questioned by FTC attorneys about this proposal during Monday's hearing, Zuckerberg confirmed that Meta ultimately abandoned the idea, opting instead to focus on upgrading Facebook's user experience through interface changes.
Other Abandoned Ideas Revealed in Testimony
The friends list reset wasn't the only unconventional idea Zuckerberg considered over the years. During his approximately nine hours of testimony so far, he revealed several other abandoned concepts, including creating a feed consisting entirely of advertisements—based on his belief that users found ads as engaging as regular content. He also once contemplated spinning off Instagram as a separate company, ironically the very outcome the FTC is now seeking through its antitrust action.
Key Ideas Considered by Zuckerberg Revealed in Testimony:
- Wiping all users' Facebook friends lists to recreate early platform excitement
- Creating a feed consisting entirely of advertisements
- Spinning off Instagram as a separate company
- Acquiring Snapchat for $6 billion (rejected by Evan Spiegel)
The Antitrust Battle Context
These revelations have emerged as part of a broader antitrust case where the FTC is attempting to force Meta to divest Instagram and WhatsApp. The commission argues that Meta systematically acquired potential competitors to maintain monopoly power in what it defines as personal social networking services. The FTC's case hinges on establishing that Meta deliberately purchased Instagram and WhatsApp in the early 2010s when Zuckerberg feared they would grow to challenge Facebook's dominance.
FTC's Antitrust Case Against Meta:
- Seeks to force Meta to divest Instagram and WhatsApp
- Claims Meta acquired potential competitors to maintain monopoly
- Defines relevant market as "personal social networking services"
- Argues acquisitions prevented natural competition in social media space
Meta's Defense Strategy
In his testimony, Zuckerberg has consistently pushed back against the FTC's market definition, describing the competitive landscape as fluid and identifying TikTok, YouTube, and iMessage as Meta's primary current competitors. He has also defended the acquisitions by arguing that Meta's resources and expertise transformed Instagram and WhatsApp into the successful platforms they are today, suggesting that their current prominence is a result of Meta's stewardship rather than their inherent trajectory.
The Failed Snapchat Acquisition
The trial has also shed light on Meta's unsuccessful attempt to acquire Snapchat. Zuckerberg testified that he had offered $6 billion for the competing platform in late 2013, but CEO Evan Spiegel declined. From the witness stand, Zuckerberg speculated that had the acquisition gone through, Meta would have accelerated Snapchat's growth significantly.
Ongoing Proceedings
Zuckerberg's testimony is expected to continue, with former COO Sheryl Sandberg also scheduled to take the stand. The outcome of this case could fundamentally reshape Meta's business structure and significantly impact the broader landscape of social media competition.