Meta Platforms is the company Mark Zuckerberg co-founded in 2004 as Facebook, later becoming one of the world's largest by market capitalization.
Facebook began as a social-networking website for Harvard students before expanding to other universities and then the public. The company incorporated in 2004 and held its initial public offering in 2012.
In October 2021, Facebook, Inc. changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc. The rebrand reflected a strategic focus on the metaverse, although Facebook remained the name of one of its major products.
Meta is often confused with Facebook because Facebook was the original corporate name and is still a flagship service. Meta's other major platforms include Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Its market value has also been influenced by advertising revenue, user growth, and investment in virtual and augmented reality.