Meta Platforms presented arguments to European Union antitrust officials in Brussels on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, to contest a potential order requiring the company to grant rival AI chatbots free access to its WhatsApp messaging platform.
The tech giant requested the closed hearing after the European Commission issued an additional charge sheet last month, as reported by Detik Finance. This regulatory action is part of an interim measure while officials investigate whether Meta is abusing its market power.
Meta legal representative Tim Lamb and other attorneys attended the proceedings in person. Meanwhile, company executives based in the United States monitored the four-hour hearing through an online connection.
“This means that a small bakery in France paying to use the service to take croissant orders will be picking up the tab for OpenAI. Small European businesses shouldn’t foot OpenAI’s bill,” said a Meta spokesperson.
The company maintains that EU regulators are leveraging their authority to allow some of the world’s largest corporations to utilize the paid WhatsApp Business product without cost. Meta originally restricted the app to its own AI assistant on January 15 before allowing rivals access for a fee in March.
“Meta is seeking to monopolize the use of WhatsApp for AI services by reserving it to its own offerings and excluding competitors like us,” said Felix Schlegel, co-founder and CTO of The Interaction Company of California.
The Interaction Company, which developed the Poke.com AI assistant, participated in the hearing as a complainant. Schlegel expressed support for the Commission’s pursuit of interim measures to prevent market exclusion.
“We welcome the Commission’s action and its consideration of interim measures. At the hearing, we will make clear that these measures are necessary and should be adopted without delay,” said Felix Schlegel, co-founder and CTO of The Interaction Company of California.
The European Commission’s Deputy Director-General for Antitrust Linsey McCallum and director Carlota Reyners Fontana were present but did not provide comments. Participants in the hearing also reportedly included representatives from OpenAI and the French startup Simone.
