# Meta

> American technology company

**Wikidata**: [Q380](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q380)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/meta

## Summary

Meta was founded on July 29, 2004[1][2] and operates as a Delaware corporation[1]. Mark Zuckerberg serves as its CEO.The company's product portfolio includes software, Messenger, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Meta pixel[3]. In 2015, Meta employed 10,000 people[4].

## Summary
Meta Platforms, Inc. is an American multinational technology corporation and online service provider that operates major social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Formerly known as Facebook, Inc., the company rebranded in 2021 to reflect its strategic focus on the "metaverse" and immersive digital environments.

## Key Facts
- **Inception:** Incorporated on July 29, 2004; originally launched as "TheFacebook" on February 4, 2004.
- **Founders:** Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes, and Andrew McCollum.
- **Headquarters:** 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, California, 94025.
- **Stock Exchange:** Traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "META" (changed from "FB" on June 9, 2022).
- **Financials (2021):** Reported an annual revenue of $117.9 billion and a net profit of $39.37 billion.
- **Primary Revenue Source:** Advertising, powered by user data and targeted marketing systems.
- **Key Subsidiaries:** Includes WhatsApp LLC, Instagram, Beat Games, Reality Labs, and Mapillary.
- **Leadership:** Mark Zuckerberg (CEO and Chairperson), Susan Li (CFO), Andrew Bosworth (CTO), and Javier Olivan (COO).

## FAQs
### Q: When did Facebook change its name to Meta?
A: The company officially changed its name from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms, Inc. on October 28, 2021. This rebranding was accompanied by a new logo featuring an infinity symbol and a shift in focus toward the metaverse.

### Q: Who are the major individual owners of Meta?
A: As of March 31, 2021, Mark Zuckerberg held the largest voting interest at 52.9%. Other significant individual voting interests were held by co-founders Eduardo Saverin (6.9%) and Dustin Moskovitz (3.8%).

### Q: What data does Meta use for its advertising business?
A: Meta utilizes a wide range of data points for targeted advertising, including user accounts, telephone numbers, Android Advertising IDs, browsing history, and app usage measurements. This information is used to infer market segments and create profiling information for registered users.

### Q: What companies does Meta compete with?
A: Meta's primary competitors include Alphabet (Google) in digital advertising, ByteDance in short-form video, and Microsoft and Amazon in cloud computing and enterprise services. It also competes with Tencent in the global video game and social media markets.

## Why It Matters
Meta is a central figure in the global "Big Tech" landscape, exerting immense influence over how billions of people communicate, consume information, and interact online. By controlling three of the world's most popular applications—Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—the company maintains a dominant position in the social media and instant messaging sectors. Its business model, which relies heavily on the collection and processing of user data for targeted advertising, has set industry standards for the digital economy while also attracting significant regulatory and public scrutiny.

The company's 2021 pivot to the metaverse represents a massive bet on the future of computing, moving beyond 2D screens into augmented and virtual reality. Financially, Meta is a global powerhouse with a market capitalization that reached $1.445 trillion in May 2025. Its impact extends into the technical and academic fields through its affiliation with numerous computer scientists and researchers in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Despite its success, Meta has faced challenges, including major data breaches in 2018 and 2019 and being designated as a terrorist organization by the Russian government.

## Notable For
- **Market Dominance:** A core member of the "Big Tech" group and a constituent of the S&P 500 and S&P 100 indices.
- **Strategic Acquisitions:** Successfully acquired and integrated massive global platforms, most notably WhatsApp in 2014 and Instagram.
- **Metaverse Pioneer:** Rebranded its entire corporate identity to lead the development of the metaverse, moving away from its origins as a single social networking site.
- **Data Scale:** Manages one of the world's largest repositories of user data, utilizing it for sophisticated service personalization and fraud detection.

## Body

### Corporate Evolution and Naming
Meta was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and incorporated in Delaware. The company has undergone two major name changes:
- **TheFacebook, Inc. (2004–2005):** The initial corporate name used during its launch phase.
- **Facebook, Inc. (2005–2021):** The name under which the company achieved global dominance and went public.
- **Meta Platforms, Inc. (2021–Present):** The current name, adopted on October 28, 2021, to signal its transition into a metaverse-first company.

### Financial Performance
Meta has demonstrated consistent financial growth over the last decade. Its revenue grew from $1.97 billion in 2010 to $85.96 billion in 2020, eventually exceeding $117 billion in 2021. Net profits have followed a similar trajectory, rising from $53 million in 2012 to $39.37 billion in 2021. As of late 2020, the company's total assets were valued at approximately $159.3 billion.

### Technical Infrastructure and Data Usage
Meta operates as a massive information technology system. It utilizes unique identifiers, such as telephone numbers and Android Advertising IDs, for user matching and two-factor authentication. The company processes "observed individual data," such as browsing history and app usage measurements, from both registered and unregistered users to power its fraud prevention and targeted advertising engines.

### Subsidiaries and Global Reach
The corporation operates through various specialized subsidiaries:
- **Social and Communication:** WhatsApp LLC, Instagram, and Facebook Israel.
- **Gaming and VR:** Beat Games (a Czech developer acquired in 2019) and Reality Labs.
- **Mapping and Infrastructure:** Mapillary (acquired in 2020) and PlayGiga.
- **Governance:** The Oversight Board, which provides independent judgment on content.

### Leadership and Governance
The company is led by Mark Zuckerberg, who has served as CEO and Chairperson since the company's inception in 2004. The Board of Directors has included prominent figures such as Sheryl Sandberg (former COO), Marc Andreessen, Drew Houston, and Peter Thiel (who retired in 2022). Current executive officers include Susan Li (CFO), Andrew Bosworth (CTO), and Chris Cox (CPO).

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  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Meta Platforms, Inc.",
  "description": "American multinational technology corporation and online service provider.",
  "url": "https://www.meta.com/",
  "sameAs": [
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  "foundingDate": "2004",
  "founder": [
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    {"@type": "Person", "name": "Eduardo Saverin"},
    {"@type": "Person", "name": "Dustin Moskovitz"},
    {"@type": "Person", "name": "Chris Hughes"},
    {"@type": "Person", "name": "Andrew McCollum"}
  ],
  "numberOfEmployees": {
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    "description": "As of December 31, 2018"
  }
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## References

1. GRID
2. [Source](http://investor.fb.com/secfiling.cfm?filingID=1326801-15-19&CIK=1326801)
3. [proxy statement](https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001326801/73b5b54b-ee06-4579-8dd3-418439795bc2.pdf)
4. [Source](https://www.privacy.org.au/bba/WinnersTable.html)
5. GRID Release 2017-01-10
6. Virtual International Authority File
7. Gateway to Research
8. [Facebook to Acquire WhatsApp. 2014](https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2014/02/facebook-to-acquire-whatsapp/)
9. [Form 10-K](https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001326801/4dd7fa7f-1a51-4ed9-b9df-7f42cc3321eb.pdf)
10. [Facebook acquires crowdsourced mapping company Mapillary. 2020](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-deals-mapillary-idUSKBN23P3N6)
11. [Financial Times](https://markets.ft.com/data/etfs/tearsheet/holdings?s=EXI2:GER:EUR)
12. [The Washington Post. 2019](https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/11/25/silicon-six-spread-propaganda-its-time-regulate-social-media-sites/)
13. [Facebook just changed its ticker symbol. 2022](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/facebook-ticker-symbol-meta-112542332.html)
14. [Dear FB Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for June 9. 2022](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/dear-fb-stock-fans-mark-your-calendars-for-june-9)
15. [META alert! Facebook’s old FB stock ticker is no more. 2022](https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/08/investing/facebook-meta-ticker-symbol-change/index.html)
16. [Source](https://openstreetmap.us/news/2024/08/meta-membership/)
17. [Source](https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2025/02/07/eight-new-corporate-members/)
18. OpenCorporates
19. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
20. [Source](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/sep/28/facebook-50-million-user-accounts-security-berach)
21. [Source](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/millions-facebook-user-records-exposed-amazon-cloud-server/)
22. [Source](https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-uploaded-1-5-million-users-email-contacts-without-permission-2019-4)
23. MusicBrainz
24. [Source](https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/2032834846972583)
25. National Software Reference Library
26. [Source](https://www.begeek.fr/facebook-48-demployes-en-plus-en-un-an-pour-le-reseau-social-167797)
27. [Source](https://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ%3AFB&ei=WjuFVrnzC4izjAGZnImAAQ)
28. [facebook Annual Report 2014](http://investor.fb.com/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=AMDA-NJ5DZ&fileid=852173&filekey=F61276C5-0AE9-49DE-BFD9-087398F85EC8&filename=FB2014AR.pdf)
29. [Source](https://newsroom.fb.com/company-info/)
30. [Source](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326801/000119312512240111/d287954d424b4.htm)
31. [Source](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326801/000132680119000009/fb-12312018x10k.htm)
32. [Source](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326801/000132680117000007/fb-12312016x10k.htm)
33. [Source](https://icis.corp.delaware.gov/eCorp/EntitySearch/NameSearch.aspx)
34. [Source](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/facebooks-very-first-sec-filing/252282/)
35. [Source](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326801/000119312512046715/d287954dex31.htm)
36. BBC Things
37. LinkedIn
38. [Source](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1326801/000132680122000090/meta-20220528.htm)
39. [Source](https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2021/Facebook-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2020-Results/default.aspx)
40. [Source](https://investor.fb.com/investor-news/press-release-details/2020/Facebook-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2019-Results/default.aspx)
41. [Form 10-K](https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/40545/000004054522000008/ge-20211231.htm)
42. [Form 10-K. 2013](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680113000003/fb-12312012x10k.htm)
43. [Form 10-K. 2014](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680114000007/fb-12312013x10k.htm)
44. [Form 10-K. 2015](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680115000006/fb-12312014x10k.htm)
45. [Form 10-K. 2016](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680116000043/fb-12312015x10k.htm)
46. [Form 10-K. 2017](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680117000007/fb-12312016x10k.htm)
47. [Form 10-K. 2018](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680118000009/fb-12312017x10k.htm)
48. [Form 10-K. 2023](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680123000013/meta-20221231.htm)
49. [Form 10-K. 2024](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680124000012/meta-20231231.htm)
50. [Form 10-K. 2025](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000132680125000017/meta-20241231.htm)