Meta Platforms owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp under one corporate parent.
The company changed its name from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms, Inc. in October 2021. The rebrand reflected chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s focus on building a broader technology company around social networking, virtual and augmented reality, and the metaverse concept.
Facebook remains the company’s flagship social network, while Instagram focuses on photo and video sharing and WhatsApp provides messaging and calling. Meta acquired Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, helping it build a large family of global communication products.
Meta’s market capitalization is influenced by advertising revenue from its platforms, user growth, engagement, operating costs, and investor expectations about future businesses such as Reality Labs. The corporate name is Meta Platforms, not simply Facebook, although Facebook remains the name of one major product.