Which company operates the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp platforms?

Meta Platforms operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The company was founded as Facebook by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow Harvard students in 2004. Facebook began as a social-networking service and later expanded through major acquisitions, including Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.

In October 2021, Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta Platforms. The rebrand emphasized the company’s interest in the metaverse, while its family of social and messaging applications continued to provide the majority of its business activity.

Meta’s market value is closely linked to digital advertising, because advertisers pay to reach audiences across its platforms. It is sometimes confused with Facebook, but Facebook is now the name of one service within the broader Meta Platforms company.