## Zuckerberg Considered Spinning Off Instagram to Save Facebook, Emails Reveal
Newly surfaced internal emails from 2018 reveal that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg once considered spinning off Instagram as a potential solution to the platform’s “cannibalization” of Facebook. The revelation comes amidst the ongoing antitrust trial where the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is arguing that Meta operates a social networking monopoly.
The emails, presented as evidence by the FTC, show Zuckerberg expressing concern that Instagram’s growth was significantly impacting Facebook’s user engagement and potentially leading to a “network collapse” of the more profitable platform. In a message addressed to key Meta executives, Zuckerberg explored various strategies to mitigate this risk, including increased integration between the two apps and, surprisingly, the possibility of spinning off Instagram entirely.
“We are starting to get more data that suggests this hollowing out of Facebook usage compounds as a larger percent of the population gets on Instagram,” Zuckerberg wrote. He worried that promoting Instagram to the same size as Facebook could have “significant negative effects” that were not being properly modeled.
One solution proposed was to build more bridges between Meta’s apps, making them function as a single, cohesive network. This included easier engagement for video creators across platforms and combining the voice and video calling networks of WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. While cross-platform messaging was eventually introduced in 2020, it was later rolled back.
However, the most striking suggestion was the potential spin-off of Instagram. Zuckerberg reportedly believed this could “preserve Facebook’s growth, focus Meta’s teams, and allow the company to retain Systrom.” Ironically, Instagram’s co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, departed Meta just months later, in September 2018.
Zuckerberg also voiced concerns about the difficulties of implementing new strategies within Instagram and WhatsApp due to the existing leadership structures. He noted that openly discussing concerns about Instagram could demoralize the team and potentially lead to the departure of its co-founders.
Another key point raised in the emails was the need to strengthen the Facebook brand identity across all platforms. Zuckerberg suggested incorporating the “Instagram by Facebook” and “WhatsApp by Facebook” branding more prominently, even considering adding Facebook branding to the app interfaces themselves. Ironically, in 2021, Facebook rebranded itself as Meta, with the Meta logo now appearing across all its applications.
While Meta ultimately chose not to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp, the possibility remains a point of contention in the ongoing FTC antitrust case. If the FTC wins, Meta could be forced to divest these assets, a scenario Zuckerberg himself acknowledged as a “non-trivial chance” in the 2018 email.
Meta has downplayed the significance of the emails, stating that they are “out-of-context and years-old documents about acquisitions that were reviewed by the FTC more than a decade ago” and will not “obscure the realities of the competition we face or overcome the FTC’s weak case.”
However, the emergence of these internal communications provides a fascinating glimpse into the strategic considerations and internal debates within Meta during a crucial period of growth and consolidation. The outcome of the FTC’s case could have significant implications for the future of Meta and the broader social networking landscape, potentially fulfilling Zuckerberg’s earlier prediction of a forced spin-off.