“You’re either growing, or you’re slowly dying.”

— Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, testifying in DC this week.

Instagram was on the ropes when TikTok emerged. By 2019, TikTok was already blamed for nearly a quarter of Instagram’s drop in U.S. user time. By 2020, Mosseri sounded the alarm internally: adapt fast — or fade.

Fast forward to today: Reels are booming, AI recommendations are sharper, and Instagram is clawing back engagement. But TikTok isn’t backing off — it’s evolving, leaning into social features that mimic Instagram’s roots.

At the heart of Mosseri’s testimony in the FTC antitrust trial? A stark message: competition is real, and the social media game is survival of the fittest.

Meta wants the court to see Instagram as a different beast from TikTok. But Mosseri’s words paint a picture of platforms in direct, high-stakes combat.

It’s not just about who owns what — it’s about who connects us best, and who can keep us coming back.