Mark Zuckerberg is officially the new CEO and chairman of Meta, Facebook’s new parent company, dubbed “A Social Technology Company.” The redesign aims to consolidate Facebook’s position as a leader in the metaverse, which Zuckerberg envisions as the internet’s future.

Meta

Unlike the Google founders who stepped down in 2015 when the business was acquired by Alphabet, Zuckerberg has no plans to step down as CEO, but instead embrace the role with arms wide open. Instead, the transformation is about recognizing a movement that has already occurred within the firm. Zuckerberg has invested billions of dollars in creating the metaverse, an expansive, immersive vision of the internet inspired by sci-fi novels. And it really does sound insane.

While details are scarce, the business plans to establish a unified account system that will cover all of the company’s social apps, the Oculus Quest headset, Portal, and future devices. Since Zuckerberg formally kicked off the project just over six months ago, the rebranding to Meta, which he unveiled at the company’s annual Connect conference, has been a well-guarded secret. Zuckerberg had been considering rebranding the company since purchasing Instagram and WhatsApp in 2012 and 2014, respectively, but he only decided it was time to do so earlier this year.

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We have to admit that the timing of the rebranding is questionable. Ever since some stolen internal documents released to the media by a former employee named Frances Haugen, the corporation has been bombarded with criticism for the past few weeks. Facebook is currently the most scrutinized company on the planet and its reputation has deteriorated in the eyes of young people. Distancing the company brand and Zuckerberg from the name Facebook will be perceived as an evasive strategy by many.

In the about section of Facebook’s website, Meta is described as follows:

“The metaverse will feel like a hybrid of today’s online social experiences, sometimes expanded into three dimensions or projected into the physical world. It will let you share immersive experiences with other people even when you can’t be together — and do things together you couldn’t do in the physical world. It’s the next evolution in a long line of social technologies, and it’s ushering in a new chapter for our company.

Our annual Connect conference brings together augmented and virtual reality developers, content creators, marketers and others to celebrate the industry’s momentum and growth. This year’s virtual event explored what experiences in the metaverse could feel like over the next decade — from social connection, to entertainment, gaming, fitness, work, education and commerce. ”

You can read Zuckerberg’s founder’s letter, released on October 28, in detail here.

In related news, read why Facebook Marketplace is actually one of the best places to sell your stuff on the internet.

Photo via Meta