WASHINGTON (AP) — A historic antitrust trial began Monday for Meta Platforms Inc. in a case that could force the tech giant to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups it bought more than a decade ago that have since grown into social media powerhouses.

The trial is bringing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg into federal court in Washington to testify.

In opening statements, Federal Trade Commission attorney Daniel Matheson said Meta has used a monopoly to generate enormous profits as consumer satisfaction has dropped. He said Meta was “erecting a moat” to protect its interests by buying the two startups because the company feared they were a threat to Meta’s dominance.

Meta, the FTC argues, has maintained a monopoly by pursuing CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy, “expressed in 2008: ‘It is better to buy than compete.’ True to that maxim, Facebook has systematically tracked potential rivals and acquired companies that it viewed as serious competitive threats.”