Facebook is the biggest social network on the planet and no other service has the kind of reach and influence that it boasts. This has obviously led to concerns about competition in the marketplace, with some calling for the social network to be broken up. Joining those calls is one of Facebook’s co-founders Chris Hughes.
Hughes has been a part of Facebook’s journey ever since the social network was started by Mark Zuckerberg in his Harvard dorm some 15 years ago. Hughes writes in an op-ed for The New York Times that the Federal Trade Commission should reverse Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram to increase competition in the messaging and social media markets.
Hughes argues that Facebook has become a monopoly which has resulted in limited competition with innovation being held back as a consequence. There’s really no alternative to Facebook for users so either they can decide to use it or just quite without a viable alternative. He also points out that no new social networks have been launched since 2011 and that 84 percent of spending on social media ads goes to Facebook.
He comments on Mark Zuckerberg’s power within the company as well, highlighting that his ownership of the majority of Facebook’s shares means that there’s no internal check on his power. “Mark is a good, kind person,” Hughes says, adding that “but I’m angry that his focus on growth led him to sacrifice security and civility for clicks.”
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