Every family has its share of drama, and Meta's has come to light through the release of court documents in the ongoing antitrust trial brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The trial focuses on Meta's acquisitions, particularly Instagram, which the FTC contends violated US competition law. The internal emails and documents from 2018 to 2022 reveal a complex and ongoing sibling-like rivalry between Instagram and Facebook, a struggle that Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO, found increasingly difficult to manage. In 2018, Zuckerberg began to express concerns that Instagram was cannibalizing Facebook's user engagement. Facebook had historically driven much of Instagram's growth through links and bookmarks, but this came at a cost to Facebook's own relevance. "The Facebook app has borne a higher ad load tax, which has contributed to a headwind for Facebook in that it sends some of its engagement to Instagram," Zuckerberg wrote to board members in 2018. He admitted that one of his major regrets was not reducing Facebook's promotion of Instagram sooner. "If we had stopped aggressively promoting Instagram at 500 million people, for example, it would have had sufficient scale to build and compete on Stories and we would not have the same concern about network fragmentation that we have today," he noted. Zuckerberg saw the issue as a rational yet challenging balance. He wanted Instagram to continue growing, acknowledging that it would naturally cannibalize Facebook to some extent. However, he also felt that Facebook's metrics suggested Instagram was less effective overall and was likely growing so quickly because of Facebook's heavy promotion. This conflict was particularly evident in a May 2018 email to executives, where he posed the question, "Is Instagram a better product than Facebook?" His answer: based on metrics, no. To address the growing concerns about Facebook's relevance, Meta pursued several strategies. One was to reduce Instagram's promotion. Zuckerberg wrote, "Given our concern about these effects, we have reduced our promotions from Facebook to Instagram. These remain significant levers for changing the trajectory of the future growth of the family, and as painful as it would be to reduce Instagram growth and revenue forecasts, it is rational to pull these levers to zero until we achieve a reasonable balance." Another strategy involved adjusting the ad load. Zuckerberg urged his executives to balance the ad load between Instagram and Facebook, stating, "There's absolutely no reason why IG ad load should be lower than FB at a time when we're having engagement issues in Facebook. If we were managing our company correctly, then at a minimum we'd immediately balance IG and FB ad load." The idea of spinning Instagram out as a separate company was also considered. "An extreme step of spinning Instagram out as a separate company is something we should consider," Zuckerberg wrote, although he acknowledged the business value of keeping them together. Internally, Meta’s leadership structure was reorganized in 2018 to address these issues. Chris Cox was appointed to oversee products across the "family" of apps, and Adam Mosseri was moved from Facebook to Instagram as VP of Product. Zuckerberg explained, "The reason we're trying a new org structure is because the status quo isn't working. Our apps are neither operating independently nor with a rational value exchange today. Instead, we are siphoning off the network from the Facebook app to artificially grow Instagram and Messenger." Zuckerberg also emphasized the importance of differentiating the platforms. He wanted Instagram to focus more on public figures and video, potentially competing with YouTube, while Facebook would maintain its broader user base. However, this strategy was not straightforward. In a 2022 email to Tom Alison, head of Facebook, Zuckerberg noted, "Differentiating between IG and FB is important, but we need to find a strategy that doesn't leave one service picking up the scraps the other service leaves behind or having either service artificially constrain itself." The rivalry wasn't just limited to the apps. The court documents also highlight the mounting tension between Zuckerberg and Instagram's co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. In a May 2018 email, Zuckerberg expressed worries about retaining Systrom and Krieger, noting that their strong advocacy for what they believed was right for Instagram was causing significant compromises within the company. Mosseri, in June 2018, informed Zuckerberg that the relationship with Systrom was strained, making it difficult to shift Instagram's priorities. By September 2018, both co-founders stepped down, with Mosseri taking over as head of Instagram. Despite these efforts, the struggle over cultural relevance continued. In 2022, Zuckerberg's focus remained on finding a path for Facebook's long-term relevance, acknowledging that Instagram was doing well in this regard while Facebook was lagging behind. Industry insiders have反应混合。一些专家认为，这些内部文件揭示了Meta在管理其平台组合方面的困境，特别是如何在保持Facebook核心用户的同时推动Instagram的增长。Meta发言人表示，这些"断章取义且年代久远的文件"无法掩盖该公司面临的竞争现实或 FTC 的薄弱论点。他们强调，Meta一直在积极应对市场和技术的快速变化。 Meta, a leading technology company, has faced significant scrutiny and legal battles over the past few years. The FTC's antitrust case is just one of many challenges the company has had to navigate, reflecting a broader trend of increased regulatory attention on Big Tech. The internal documents provide a rare glimpse into the strategic decisions and internal dynamics of one of the world's most influential tech companies, highlighting the complexities of maintaining a diverse and competitive product portfolio. Adam Mosseri, who took over as head of Instagram after the departure of its co-founders, has been crucial in shaping Instagram's direction. His role in managing the platform's growth and differentiation from Facebook has been essential, reflecting the company's ongoing efforts to balance the interests of its various apps and user bases.