Meta Platforms Inc

Based in Menlo Park, California, Meta Platforms, Inc. functions as an American multinational tech entity. Several leading social media platforms and communication services, such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Messenger, and WhatsApp, fall under Meta’s ownership and operation. The firm also manages an advertising network for its own domains and external partners; as of 2023, advertising constituted 97.8% of its total revenue.

Originally founded in 2004 as TheFacebook, Inc., the company underwent a renaming to Facebook, Inc. in 2005. Its rebranding to Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021 signaled a strategic pivot toward the metaverse—an interconnected digital ecosystem integrating virtual and augmented reality technologies.

Recognized as one of the Big Five U.S. tech giants alongside Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft, Meta secured the 31st rank on the 2023 Forbes Global 2000. As of 2022, it stood as the world’s third-largest investor in research and development, with R&D expenditures totaling US$35.3 billion.