Meta Platforms was formerly known as Facebook before changing its corporate name in 2021.
Facebook, Inc. announced the change to Meta Platforms, Inc. on October 28, 2021. The rebranding reflected the company’s stated interest in building the metaverse, a collection of immersive and interconnected digital environments. The company’s stock ticker changed from FB to META in 2022.
The name change applied to the corporation, not every product. Facebook remained the name of the social-networking service, while Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger also retained their product names. Meta’s Reality Labs division develops virtual-reality and augmented-reality hardware and software.
A common mix-up is to say that Facebook disappeared. The Facebook platform continued operating under its familiar name; the parent corporation changed. Meta remains one of the world’s largest publicly traded technology companies, with advertising still a major part of its business.