Meta owns the social network formerly called Facebook and adopted its current name in 2021.
The company announced the change from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms, Inc. in October 2021. The rebranding was intended to emphasize the company’s broader interests, including virtual and augmented reality, rather than making the corporate identity depend on a single social-networking service.
Facebook itself retained its name as a product and remains one of Meta’s major platforms. Meta also owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Its Reality Labs division develops virtual-reality hardware and software, including the Quest headset line.
The name change did not mean that Facebook disappeared or that the social network became Meta. Meta is the parent company; Facebook is one of its services. The company’s corporate ticker remained META after the rebrand.