Facebook changed its name to Meta as part of a massive rebrand.
The company said it will be able to increase its reach in this way as it expands its presence beyond social media in areas such as virtual reality (VR). The change does not apply to its individual platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, but only to the parent company that owns them.
The move follows a series of negative Facebook stories based on documents released by a former employee. Frances Haugen accused the company of putting "profit over safety".
In 2015, Google restructured its company, naming it as Alphabet's parent company, but the name didn't stick.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company's new name when he unveiled plans to create a "metaverse" — an online world where people can play, work and communicate in a virtual environment using virtual reality headsets. He said that "an existing brand cannot represent everything we do today, let alone the future, so it needs to be changed." “I hope that over time we will be seen as a metaverse company, and I want to connect our work with what we are striving for,” he said at the conference. “We now view and report our business as two distinct segments, one for our family of applications and one for our work on future platforms. So, it's time for us to change the name of the company to embrace everything we do, to reflect who we are and what we hope to build."
The company also unveiled new sign at its Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, replacing the thumbs-up "Like" logo with a blue infinity shape. Mark Zuckerberg said the new name reflects that over time, users won't need to use Facebook to be able use the company's other services.
To an outsider, the metaverse may look like an improved version of virtual reality, but some people believe it could be the future of the Internet. Instead of a computer, people in the metaverse can use a headset to enter a virtual world that connects all sorts of digital environments. The hope is that the virtual world can be used for almost anything, from work, games and concerts to communicating with friends and family.
Facebook announced that it intends to start trading its shares under the new stock code MVRS on December 1st.
Information leak
The company has had several blows to its reputation: The Washington Post reported today that Facebook withheld important vaccine information from politicians during the pandemic.
It was the last on from the series of stories based on internal documents that the former Haugen employee leaked to the media. Among other things, the reports claimed that Facebook conducted a study that found Instagram to be harmful to the mental health of teenagers and has struggled to remove hate speech from its platforms outside the US. Mark Zuckerberg called the reports "a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to misrepresent our company."
Difficulties with company name
Zuckerberg says he chose Meta because it means "beyond" in Greek. It also alludes to the "Metaverse", an online virtual world he wants to build.
However, why would Facebook have trouble getting everyone to call them Meta?
At first, this move looks like Facebook is trying to divert attention from the many negative stories circling around the company. Critics believe that Facebook did this because the brand began to cause negativity. We've already seen how senators ignored the name change, with one calling the move "cosmetic."
Secondly, the "metaverse" does not yet exist. Zuckerberg was keen to emphasize that this is a long-term product. Therefore having a name that is completely unrelated to your main proposition is perhaps a bit odd. Nearly all of Facebook's revenue comes from Facebook and Instagram ads.
And third, we know that other Big Tech rebrands have failed. Almost no one calls Google "Alphabet" — that name was renamed in 2015.
One thing is clear: managing Instagram and Facebook is no longer Mark Zuckerberg's primary goal. He is interested in creating virtual worlds that he believes will change the human experience. The constant criticism of how he manages his social media must be draining him. This restructuring could give him the opportunity to focus more on the segments of the company that he cares about.
The company said it will be able to increase its reach in this way as it expands its presence beyond social media in areas such as virtual reality (VR). The change does not apply to its individual platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, but only to the parent company that owns them.
The move follows a series of negative Facebook stories based on documents released by a former employee. Frances Haugen accused the company of putting "profit over safety".
In 2015, Google restructured its company, naming it as Alphabet's parent company, but the name didn't stick.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the company's new name when he unveiled plans to create a "metaverse" — an online world where people can play, work and communicate in a virtual environment using virtual reality headsets. He said that "an existing brand cannot represent everything we do today, let alone the future, so it needs to be changed." “I hope that over time we will be seen as a metaverse company, and I want to connect our work with what we are striving for,” he said at the conference. “We now view and report our business as two distinct segments, one for our family of applications and one for our work on future platforms. So, it's time for us to change the name of the company to embrace everything we do, to reflect who we are and what we hope to build."
The company also unveiled new sign at its Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters on Thursday, replacing the thumbs-up "Like" logo with a blue infinity shape. Mark Zuckerberg said the new name reflects that over time, users won't need to use Facebook to be able use the company's other services.
To an outsider, the metaverse may look like an improved version of virtual reality, but some people believe it could be the future of the Internet. Instead of a computer, people in the metaverse can use a headset to enter a virtual world that connects all sorts of digital environments. The hope is that the virtual world can be used for almost anything, from work, games and concerts to communicating with friends and family.
Facebook announced that it intends to start trading its shares under the new stock code MVRS on December 1st.
Information leak
The company has had several blows to its reputation: The Washington Post reported today that Facebook withheld important vaccine information from politicians during the pandemic.
It was the last on from the series of stories based on internal documents that the former Haugen employee leaked to the media. Among other things, the reports claimed that Facebook conducted a study that found Instagram to be harmful to the mental health of teenagers and has struggled to remove hate speech from its platforms outside the US. Mark Zuckerberg called the reports "a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to misrepresent our company."
Difficulties with company name
Zuckerberg says he chose Meta because it means "beyond" in Greek. It also alludes to the "Metaverse", an online virtual world he wants to build.
However, why would Facebook have trouble getting everyone to call them Meta?
At first, this move looks like Facebook is trying to divert attention from the many negative stories circling around the company. Critics believe that Facebook did this because the brand began to cause negativity. We've already seen how senators ignored the name change, with one calling the move "cosmetic."
Secondly, the "metaverse" does not yet exist. Zuckerberg was keen to emphasize that this is a long-term product. Therefore having a name that is completely unrelated to your main proposition is perhaps a bit odd. Nearly all of Facebook's revenue comes from Facebook and Instagram ads.
And third, we know that other Big Tech rebrands have failed. Almost no one calls Google "Alphabet" — that name was renamed in 2015.
One thing is clear: managing Instagram and Facebook is no longer Mark Zuckerberg's primary goal. He is interested in creating virtual worlds that he believes will change the human experience. The constant criticism of how he manages his social media must be draining him. This restructuring could give him the opportunity to focus more on the segments of the company that he cares about.