Which company operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads?

Meta Platforms operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads.

Meta Platforms was originally named Facebook, Inc. and was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. The company changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms in 2021 to emphasize its interest in building the metaverse.

Facebook remains the name of Meta’s flagship social-networking service. Instagram joined the company through a 2012 acquisition, while WhatsApp was acquired in 2014. Threads, a text-based social platform linked to Instagram, launched in 2023.

Meta’s business is funded primarily by digital advertising, although it also develops virtual-reality hardware and software through Reality Labs. The company’s market capitalization can rise or fall with advertising demand, user growth, costs, and investor expectations. Meta Platforms is the parent-company name; Facebook is only one of its major products.