Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook the company is now Meta, to better encompass all of its products

We are at the beginning of the next chapter for the internet, and it's the next chapter for our company too. — In recent decades, technology has given people the power to connect and express ourselves more naturally.

About Facebook 2021-10-29 Mark Zuckerberg

Context & Ripple Effects

The rename recasts Facebook as one product within a broader corporate umbrella, rather than the name for the entire company. Related coverage characterized the move as a founder-controlled bet on a future that had yet to take shape, making the naming decision a strategic commitment rather than a cosmetic change.

Meta later formalized that commitment through new corporate values centered on moving together and living in the future, showing how the rebrand extended from external identity into internal institutional language.

First-order effects

Facebook, Meta’s other products, and the parent company now operate under distinct names, giving Zuckerberg a single corporate identity meant to encompass the portfolio.
Zuckerberg ties the company’s public identity more directly to a forward-looking product vision, raising the stakes for Meta’s leadership to demonstrate that vision across its offerings.

Second-order effects

The rebrand gives Meta a clearer platform for aligning product messaging and employee culture around the same future-oriented strategy, as reflected in its later corporate-values revision.
Competitors and observers are pushed to evaluate Meta less as a single social-network operator and more through whether its broader product portfolio validates the founder-led strategic shift.

Third-order effects

If such portfolio-level rebrands are followed by changes to culture and product positioning, corporate names become a tool for reallocating attention and accountability from a legacy flagship to a company-wide strategic thesis.
The episode belongs to a wider strategic-institution transition in which founder-controlled technology companies use organizational identity to sustain long-horizon bets beyond their original products.

The trend: Founder-led technology companies are increasingly using parent-company identity and internal culture to organize portfolios around ambitions that extend beyond a legacy flagship.

Discussion

@wendys Meat on x
Changing name to Meat
@jack Jack⚡️ on x
meta: referring to itself or to the conventions of its genre; self-referential.
@facebook @facebook on x
Announcing @Meta — the Facebook company's new name. Meta is helping to build the metaverse, a place where we'll play and connect in 3D. Welcome to the next chapter of social connection. https://twitter.com/...
@heatherkelly Heather Kelly on x
It looks like Mark Zuckerberg gave embargoed interviews to four white male reporters about Meta. Am I missing any others? Verge, Stratechery, The Information, that one that sounds like a bad word.
@viacristiano Cristiano Lima on x
So are the Big Four now.... MAGA?
@aoc Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on x
Meta as in “we are a cancer to democracy metastasizing into a global surveillance and propaganda machine for boosting authoritarian regimes and destroying civil society... for profit!” https://twitter.com/...
@teddyschleifer Teddy Schleifer on x
Some Meta news — “Meta” used to be a brand owned by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan's philanthropy. Meta, for unrelated reasons, is sunsetting. And so Facebook and CZI “entered an agreement to transfer those brand assets to Facebook.” Full news. http…
@joshconstine Josh Constine on x
Facebook's rebrand to Meta is smart since it's an easy modifier for any product name: Meta Apps, Meta Business, Meta Avatar. https://twitter.com/...
@aslavitt @aslavitt on x
Meta accomplishes only one thing. It allows Mark Zuckerberg to say he's not the CEO of Facebook. He will now do less controversial things like build a new virtual universe where he can be king. While running Facebook.
@levie Aaron Levie on x
If your startup is not building a holding company at this point, are you even really a company?
@mosseri @mosseri on x
Meta and Instagram's Future The future of the ✨metaverse✨ is not yet defined - and I find that really exciting. Looking forward to continuing our work in this space and building this new medium together. ✌🏼 https://twitter.com/...
@pixelatedboat @pixelatedboat on x
Okay this part was weird https://twitter.com/...
@mc_lotta Charlotte Avery on x
https://twitter.com/...
@danpfeiffer Dan Pfeiffer on x
This entire Facebook Meta shitshow has real signs of a company where no one has the guts or cache to tell Mark Zuckerberg his ideas are embarrassingly stupid
@yoda Drew Olanoff on x
the old switcharoo is through https://twitter.com/...
@pwnallthethings @pwnallthethings on x
Is there anyone literally anywhere that actually wants a metaverse
@kantrowitz Alex Kantrowitz on x
From a talent recruitment standpoint, “Hi would you be interested in a job at Meta?” will work better than a message inquiring about Facebook.
@ibogost @ibogost on x
Cannot believe that Zuckerberg actually cited the Greek “meta” as “beyond” in the keynote announcing Facebook's rebranding as “Meta,” without even a wink—except I totally can. https://www.theatlantic.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
@metasynthie @metasynthie on x
All you wiseacres making fun of Meta with accurate dunks on how it's a boring version of Ready Player Second Life won't be laughing when Zuck buys Salesforce and your HR department requires you to attend mandatory sessions in the metaverse in order to get healthcare benefits
@twittersafety @twittersafety on x
the only #META we acknowledge is this: [link to article on Twitter's META team]
@kottke @kottke on x
Facebook changes its name to Meta. Yep. Meta. So dumb. No one is going to call it that. As for bringing the metaverse to life...good lord. https://about.facebook.com/meta
@teddyschleifer Teddy Schleifer on x
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative owned and operated the @Meta handle, for instance, along with the trademark to the name. Here's the trademark doc. https://twitter.com/...
@facebook @facebook on x
The names of the apps that we build—Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp—will remain the same.
@actnormalorelse Lauren on x
between the zuckerberg VR conference and musk saying he shouldn't be taxed so he can build offworld colonies it seems really obvious the billionaire playbook is to just pick a sci fi trope to focus on and hope we're all so stupid we take their claims at face value
@yappelbaum Yoni Appelbaum on x
“There is not a single person in existence who has scanned Facebook's News Feed and said: 'Yes, immerse me in this reality. I want to feel my uncle's meme about Hot Pockets on my face.'” https://www.theatlantic.com/ ...
@brandyljensen Brandy Jensen on x
this all happened because zuckerberg never meta girl until college
@taylordotbiz Taylor Moore on x
https://twitter.com/...
@birdyword Mike Bird on x
Zuckerberg saying “Never surprise people” and Clegg replying “Right, and that means being transparent” simply has to be a UK political in-joke that someone was paid to include.
@chloe_somethin Chloë🧃🐛 on x
his face after he says “connecting with people” made me scream https://twitter.com/...
@caroleradziwill Carole Radziwill on x
This has Phillip Morris 2002 vibes. They changed their name to Altria after a whistleblower outed their addiction cover-up. 😱😱 https://twitter.com/...
@the_law_boy @the_law_boy on x
it's pretty telling that Facebook is building their entire rebrand around the “metaverse” concept and the best use case they could think of is a virtual reality business meeting https://twitter.com/...
@pixelatedboat @pixelatedboat on x
https://twitter.com/...
@kamirieck Kami Rieck on x
Facebook's rebranding to #Metaverse could attract talent back to the company. “FB has struggled to hire high quality engineers in the last few quarters because of some of the bad press about the company and concerns about harms,” says @parmy. LIVE now: https://twitter.com/...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Breaking: Meta is having a tough time getting engagement among younger users. It's the exact same problem that Facebook was dealing with.
@beijingdou Josh Ong on x
RIP Metaverse Jan 16, 2021 - Oct 28, 2021
@cwarzel Charlie Warzel on x
this sucks https://twitter.com/...
@stroughtonsmith Steve Troughton-Smith on x
Outlets are already using ‘Meta’ instead of ‘Facebook’ in headlines, which of course is entirely the point when virtually all news about the company is negative and it wants to disassociate from it. You fell for it 😑
@aprilaser April Glaser on x
Please stop talking about what Facebook is named. Whatever you want to call it, we have concrete proof that people are being hurt and it's making our political lives divisive and awful. The metaverse stuff is a distraction from the fact that people are getting hurt
@jonfavs Jon Favreau on x
I mean, we're all still calling it Facebook, right?
@jgo4justice Jessica González on x
We're still just calling it Facebook, right? As in: Facebook ignored racial justice & civil society groups calling for it to stop hate- & lie-profiteering. Or: Facebook knew it was undermining democracy & aiding mass atrocities but instead of fixing problems it covered them up.
@keyon Hood Vogue on x
old people gone open their phone one day like “where did my Facebook app go?” and never find it again https://twitter.com/...
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
this makes me think this was a top-down thing, forced through by Mark since he's the one can has the final say on any of this. and he got very excited about metaverse stuff over the past year or so
@inthelittlewood Martyn Littlewood on x
The Oasis is on the horizon 👀 https://twitter.com/...
@sethabramson Seth Abramson on x
I'm with John—I'm pretty pissed about this. First you have Trump trying to seize the word “truth” by declaring all posts on his new social media platform will be called “truths,” and now Mark Zuckerberg is stealing the prefix “meta.” Screw these rich schmucks and their bullshit. …
@matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
I actually think it's cool that Zuckerberg is investing lots of $$$ in virtual reality and augmented reality. That doesn't mitigate any of his actions or the harms Facebook has caused.
@bocxtop @bocxtop on x
“meta” when they're called into court to answer for facebook influencing elections https://twitter.com/...
@loomdart @loomdart on x
The war for the metaverse isn't something we can fuck around in. If we lose, we don't get a second shot. It's over. https://twitter.com/...
@ricmac Richard MacManus on x
I know everyone is dunking on FB->Meta (and it is well deserved), but tbh I am excited that a major tech co is going all-in on “the metaverse”. One key thing I'll be tracking is what role the Web will play in this. Zuck claims to want interoperability, but what will that mean?
@cmclymer @cmclymer on x
I don't understand people who are being critical of Facebook's name change and vision. This is an exciting future in which all of us, connected through the Metaverse, will be able to experience the devastating erosion of American democracy in a fun, virtual social setting.
@mahon_e John Mahoney on x
The Metaverse = 3DTVs
@donie Donie O'Sullivan on x
Will this fit on a hoodie? https://twitter.com/...
@adl @adl on x
Philip Morris changed to Altria Group, but they still sold cancer in a stick. Facebook changes to Meta, but they still spread hate and misinformation. We don't want a name change, we want you to #StopHateForProfit. https://www.washingtonpost.com/ ...
@fboversight @fboversight on x
The name was never the problem.
@gabrielsnyder Gabriel Snyder on x
in light of the hellscape that Facebook constructed in social media, this description of the metaverse it wants to now build reads like pure sci-fi dystopia https://about.fb.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@janelytv Jane Lytvynenko on x
no offense to the metaverse but this is just Habbo Hotel
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
Mark's answers today had a this-is-bullshit, I-am-moving-on tone, returning to his let-me-tell-you-my-grand-vision zone of comfort. I can barely tolerate that from a real tech visionary like Bezos or Musk, but sadly, it'll probably work.
@jason_kint Jason Kint on x
I can't emphasize enough how good it is to have AOC's voice in this. The harms aren't meta but very, very real. And the prioritizing change only due to PR disasters and financial risk has wreaked havoc on the world. https://twitter.com/...
@aldiuk Aldi Stores UK on x
Unveiling our Betta strapline #meta https://twitter.com/...
@lollardfish David M. Perry on x
THE #METAVERSE IN SNOW CRASH WAS PART OF AN EXTREME DYSTOPIA FUELED BY UNREGULATED CORPORATE TAKEOVER OF ALL BASIC GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS ON A FOR-PROFIT BASIS!
@munster_gene Gene Munster on x
This is a bigger deal than when Google changed its name to the ambiguous Alphabet. Facebooks name change is more important because it underlines a shift in strategy. It's the same thing when Apple changed its name.
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
And they asked such tough questions like: Cool skeleton avatar, dude! When can I get one? https://twitter.com/...
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on x
This VR stuff might be cool, but it's kind of besides the point in our currently stressed real world where there is also a pretty significant dumpster fire going on that seems invisible to some. https://twitter.com/...
@bensoskis Benjamin Soskis on x
I don't mean to get all “meta” here, but what does this say about the relationship and boundaries btw philanthropy, brand/reputation management, private interest and the public good? https://twitter.com/...
@marshablackburn Sen. Marsha Blackburn on x
Changing Facebook's name doesn't change what you've done, Mark.
@larakiara Lara O'Reilly on x
When there's hype around a new concept, you can bet your bottom dollar that advertising companies are thinking about how to get involved. I looked at how advertisers are exploring the “metaverse” https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@michaelemann Prof Michael E. Mann on x
Mark Zuckerberg: please please go live in the Metaverse! https://apnews.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@davidcicilline David Cicilline on x
Auntie Anne's is gonna be pissed when they find out that Mark stole their logo. https://www.theverge.com/...
@carolecadwalla Carole Cadwalladr on x
I have been to North Korea where I watched North Korean TV but this live presentation of Mark Zuckerberg launching his metaverse is even more mind & reality bending https://www.youtube.com/...
@johnfugelsang John Fugelsang on x
Facebook changing its name to Meta is so exciting I've already forgotten that we just learned they knew women were being sex trafficked on the platform and did nothing! https://twitter.com/...
@joshconstine Josh Constine on x
Facebook has always been shrewd with naming, claiming whole concepts by using simple names: Groups, Pages, News Feed, Messenger... Meta similarly colonizes the entire metaverse, making you think of it anytime you discuss the medium
@mathewi Mathew Ingram on x
I assume Facebook — er, Meta — has already licensed the code from Second Life that tried to stop people from using giant penises as their virtual avatars https://twitter.com/...
@_kinjalbshah @_kinjalbshah on x
the term metaverse just became boomer
@scalzi John Scalzi on x
Oh, for fuck's sake. One, everyone who uses the term “meta” for anything can expect this asshole's lawyers to get all up in their business, which will be JUST GREAT, THANKS; Two, a racist authoritarian-leaning tech company by any other name still sucks. https://gizmodo.com/...
@_zeets Zito on x
This reminds me of all the things @jomc says about the silliness of tech determinism https://twitter.com/...
@buzzfeed @buzzfeed on x
not surprised with facebook's new logo for meta https://twitter.com/...
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
i also think it has genuinely bothered Zuckerberg that Facebook is thought of as the worlds largest media company instead of a technology company the rebranding language is fairly explicit about this https://about.fb.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@cwarzel Charlie Warzel on x
feel silly but this video actually makes me...angry? after weeks of really grim news about the way these platforms are used and abused in reality this cheery, pleasantville style of a demo just feels like a slap in the face and an admission of impunity https://twitter.com/...
@artificialnix Nix on x
rebranding the 6th biggest company in the entire world to be named after vaporware is a pretty impressive self own
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
I count at least four pre-briefs from Zuckerberg's team to certain outlets (interesting to note which ones they chose)
@caseynewton Casey Newton on x
Interesting note from @benthompson's very good interview with Zuckerberg: the reaction to requiring a Facebook login to use Oculus was so bad that it helped inspire the rebranding https://stratechery.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@alexeheath Alex Heath on x
I talked to Mark Zuckerberg about why he is rebranding Facebook to Meta “There was just a lot of confusion and awkwardness” about Facebook being the name for everything. We talked why he has no plans to step down, a new Meta account system, and more: https://www.theverge.com/...
@tressiemcphd Tressie McMillan Cottom on x
Honest to god thought this was satire. Honest to god. This is the kind of pseudonym they give tech companies in Hallmark movies because it's so ridiculously fake. https://twitter.com/...
@edzitron Ed Dead Redemption on x
what does “unlock a massively bigger creator economy” even mean. Steve Jobs would have stabbed a guy to death and made his family pay for new pants from the bloodstains for this
@jonesonthenba Nate Jones on x
Still think they should have gone with Hooli for the new name 🤷🏽‍♂ ️ https://twitter.com/...
@alexsobel Alex Sobel MP on x
This metaverse is going to either fall flat on its arse or be all consuming. Its going to be a challenge for legislators. The Online Security Bill will be going through Parliament when it launches and we need to ensure the bill is cognoscent of it and as futureproof as possible h…
@balajis Balaji Srinivasan on x
Zuck & Jack are the Gates & Jobs of this era. Truly great founders who built and ran organizations through multiple decades and tech transitions. Now they're pivoting to web3 and Bitcoin respectively, while founderless web2 companies of similar vintage are not gonna make it. http…
@benedictevans Benedict Evans on x
Trop-down, pre-determined, centralised, planned out in advance....
@edzitron Ed Dead Redemption on x
literally any other company that said this would be at best ignored or at worst mocked furiously for this word salad https://twitter.com/...
@gregisenberg Greg Isenberg on x
BREAKING: FB is now being rebranded to “Meta” The real story isn't Facebook is moving toward the metaverse and web3 The real story is that the path towards web3 and the metaverse is pretty unstoppable Facebook knows this and you know it https://twitter.com/...
@evleaks @evleaks on x
Meta https://twitter.com/...
@balajis Balaji Srinivasan on x
Meta comment on Meta Notice that Zuck went direct with his announcement. And when he decided to give an interview, he gave it to a smart independent like Stratechery, not a legacy media corporation. And it's a good interview. https://stratechery.com/...
@markgurman Mark Gurman on x
“One more thing” for name change
@stratechery @stratechery on x
Meta Facebook's reorganization into Meta is the ultimate bet on the power of founder control. https://stratechery.com/...
@niubi Bill Bishop on x
Pretty cool that one of facebook's pr choices for the rebranding is an independent newsletter writer https://twitter.com/...
@hunterw Hunter Walker on x
The entire idea of socializing in a fake world is bad and as toxic as anything else Facebook has offered. https://twitter.com/...
@_inpractise @_inpractise on x
If you ever needed reminding about the power of aggregating demand online, @benthompson reminds us by scoring an interview with Zuck https://stratechery.com/...
@jake_hanrahan Jake Hanrahan on x
The model for this to help people be rude and stay disconnected from reality. The fact Zuck thinks it's good that “no one else is even going to notice” really speaks to what an awful person he is. https://twitter.com/...
@whysharksmatter Dr. David Shiffman on x
Are people not currently texting discreetly while having conversations with others? https://twitter.com/...
@mehdirhasan Mehdi Hasan on x
Absolutely insane that Zuckerberg thinks this is a *good* thing and worth promoting or even saying out loud. https://twitter.com/...
@davidgura David Gura on x
In an interview with @stratechery, Mark Zuckerberg seems to suggest that, by enabling furtive, discourteous distraction, Meta will get us closer to “a deep sense of presence.” https://stratechery.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@sheeri Sheeri K. Cabral on x
@yesthattom Agree that it's not a re-branding. It's a re-focusing, which is what Alphabet was IMO. Let Google be Google and these other companies are kind of related (as opposed to, say, Oracle). As to how it's different, @benthompson has a really good analysis. https://strateche…
@danpfeiffer Dan Pfeiffer on x
This is sort of like when Facebook's response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal was to start marketing a smart speaker. “Neverous about FB on your phone? Why don't you pay us hundreds of dollars to let us hang out in your kitchen?”
@broderick Ryan Broderick on x
Zuckerberg is so completely bankrupt of imagination that the only thing he can imagine using VR or AR for is just... conference calls and slack messages. Pokémon Go, Minecraft SMPs, viral TikTok meetups. The metaverse is already here and it's not texting with your smart glasses. …
@ntaylor963 Nathan Taylor on x
Of the big 5 tech companies, Facebook is “unique in that it is the only one of the five that is still founder-led.” Ben Thompson on point that Facebook going Meta is the kind of thing only a tech founder could attempt. Whether it works..., remains TBD. https://stratechery.com/...…
@dbreunig Drew Breunig on x
“The fact that Facebook is uniquely held responsible for the societal problems engendered by the Internet does, I suspect, stem from the fact that Zuckerberg is an obvious target.” Great point about bias here, by @benthompson https://stratechery.com/...
@hkanji Hussein Kanji on x
“Meta exists because Zuckerberg believes it needs to exist, and he is devoted to making the metaverse a reality; it's his call, for better or worse.” https://stratechery.com/...
Vox Rebecca Heilweil on x
Facebook is now Meta, but it's not quite a metamorphosis
@devindra Devindra Hardawar on x
Wow, Meta killed Oculus in a blog post https://www.facebook.com/...
@boztank Boz on x
@Techmeme Oculus will continue to be a core part of our DNA and will live on as a brand in things like software and developer tools.
@katienotopoulos Katie Notopoulos on x
more like Ocu-less https://twitter.com/...
@epro Emil Protalinski on x
I assume Meta announced codename Project Cambria because it's not yet ready to announce Oculus Quest Pro as the Meta Quest Pro. By next year, we might be comfortable with just “Meta announces Quest Pro”. https://twitter.com/...
@samred Sam Machkovech on x
wow. they're really dumping the term “Oculus” in favor of “Meta.” their headset line is now officially the “Meta Quest.” years of branding, and billions of dollars, are now in the toilet. (related: Meta's 8-K filing with the SEC is gonna be nuts.) https://www.facebook.com/...
@palmerluckey Palmer Luckey on x
I guess you won't need to use a Facebook account to use Oculus headsets after all! https://twitter.com/...
@gavindyoung Gavin Young on x
“Oculus” seems like a pretty strong brand within the VR space, so turning the devices into “Meta Quest” is really dumb. Bad mouth feel, bad logo. Bleh. https://twitter.com/...
@bcarlton727 @bcarlton727 on x
Facebook Reality Labs is just Reality Labs..and get used to saying Meta Quest. https://twitter.com/...
@kentbye Kent Bye VoicesOfVR on x
38/ RIP “Oculus” @boztank says they're “retiring the name” of Oculus & the Oculus Quest will rebrand as Meta Quest. Facebook Reality Labs will now be known at Reality Labs & eventually to Reality Labs Research Facebook Portal will become Meta Portal. https://www.facebook.com/... …
@stephentotilo Stephen Totilo on x
hmmm. https://www.facebook.com/... “we're working on new ways to log into Quest that won't require a Facebook account, landing sometime next year. ”
@nathievr Nathie on x
So Facebook is going to rename the Oculus Quest and the rest of the brand to Meta. So Meta Quest, Meta Gaming etc. According to them the Oculus brand will end 2022. Honestly my brain does not compute any of this.
@starfire2258 Sean Hollister on x
RIP Oculus, 2012-2021 https://www.theverge.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
@boztank super interested to see what you guys build around the remote work scenarios
@kentbye Kent Bye VoicesOfVR on x
63/ @boztank says, “Retiring was too strong of a term (am revising my post), will still be a big part of our software portfolio for developer tools and things like Oculus Studios” https://www.facebook.com/... [See the two edits down below to see the updates] https://twitter.com/.…
@nytimes @nytimes on x
The “metaverse” isn't a vanity stunt for Mark Zuckerberg, @kevinroose writes. “He has found what may be an escape hatch — a way to eject himself from Facebook's messy, troubled present and break ground on a new, untainted frontier.” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@richardfausset Richard Fausset on x
“a Boomer-dominated sludge pit filled with cute animal videos and hyperpartisan garbage...” https://www.nytimes.com/...
@nytimesbusiness @nytimesbusiness on x
Facebook's vision for an immersive virtual environment it calls the metaverse could help solve at least four big, thorny problems it faces here in the terrestrial world. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@davewiner Dave Winer on x
Journalism writes about their version of reality, which is different from actual reality. Here's a link to the story (no paywall). https://www.nytimes.com/...
@ismaelnafria Ismael Nafría on x
The Metaverse Is Mark Zuckerberg's Escape Hatch If his new strategy works — a big if — it could help address several of Facebook's biggest problems. Buen análisis @nytimes https://www.nytimes.com/...

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