Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, announced on Thursday that the parent company’s name will be changed to “Meta” to signify a future beyond the social network.
The new moniker comes as the social media behemoth strives to recover from one of its most serious crises to focus on its vision for the “metaverse,” a virtual reality version of the internet that the tech behemoth views as the way of the future.
The names of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp will not change as a result of the rebranding.
“We’ve learned a lot from struggling with social issues and living under closed platforms, and now it is time to take everything that we’ve learned and help build the next chapter,” Zuckerberg said during an annual developers conference.
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“I am proud to announce that starting today, our company is now Meta. Our mission remains the same, still about bringing people together, our apps and their brands, they’re not changing,” he added.
Last week, Facebook opponents jumped on a report that revealed the rebranding plans, claiming the firm was attempting to divert attention away from recent scandals and controversy.
The Real Facebook Oversight Board, an activist group, has warned that large sectors like oil and tobacco have rebranded to “deflect attention” from their problems.
Facebook recently announced ambitions to hire 10,000 workers in the European Union to help construct the “metaverse,” with Zuckerberg emerging as a proponent of the concept.
