Meta Platforms, Inc.,[9][10] doing business as Meta[11] (formerly Facebook, Inc.[12]), is an American multinational technology conglomerate holding company based in Menlo Park, California. It is the parent organization of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, among other subsidiaries.[13] It is one of the world’s most valuable companies and is considered one of the Big Tech companies in U.S. information technology, alongside Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, and Microsoft. The company generates a substantial share of its revenue from the sale of advertisement placements to marketers.[14]
Meta offers other products and services, including Facebook, Messenger, Facebook Watch, and Facebook Portal. It has also acquired Oculus, Giphy and Mapillary, and has a 9.99% stake in Jio Platforms.[15]
In October 2021, media outlets reported that the parent company of Facebook planned to change its name to “reflect its focus on building the metaverse”,[16] it was rebranded as Meta later that month on October 28.[17][18] The word “meta” comes from the Greek language and means “beyond”, indicating the futuristic motive.[19]
