4 ms·

This; I mean, they even renamed the company.

alex1138 8mo ago
Is it possible all this was a major ploy to get around antitrust? I'm aware FB has been working on VR for a while even beyond the Oculus that they purchased but it's like... "Facebook bought Whatsapp, yes, but; we're Meta"
- jitl 8mo ago
  the rename came at a nadir of "Facebook" brand when there was lots of hate for misinfo, genocide incitement on the platform, etc. I think that's the more important context rather than "lol i bet we'll fool the antitrust guys w/ a quick name change"
  - alex1138 8mo ago
    Yeah fair enough, it was a dumb comment Still, the rename to Meta was a cynical ploy regardless
jonny_eh 8mo ago
They needed to rename the company anyway to get away from bad press. It worked. I think they're quite happy with their current name.
- throwaway314155 8mo ago
  > It worked. Debatable.
  - static_motion 8mo ago
    Is it really? Instagram, arguably the most popular (or maybe just behind TikTok, I'm not sure) social network currently, has successfully disengaged from the tainted Facebook name entirely. It may seem like a small thing but I do think that has a deep impact on the average person's perception of the service. Especially in the younger generation, the Facebook name has a definite "ick" to it (is that what the kids say these days?), even if it's just because it's the "boomer social network" and not because of the myriad privacy concerns associated with it.
- paxys 8mo ago
  Yup. The Facebook brand was long dead, and Meta is a good tech name even outside of AR/VR or metaverse. The fact that no one calls the company Facebook anymore shows that the rebrand was successful.
  - gambiting 8mo ago
    >> The fact that no one calls the company Facebook anymore shows that the rebrand was successful. Don't they? I have to remind myself that it's actually called Meta, I always call it facebook.
  - jorvi 8mo ago
    Very few outside of tech call it Meta. Just like no one calls Alphabet "Alphabet", they just say "Google".
    - anvuong 8mo ago
      It's very different though. Alphabet was created more for financial book keeping. Google apps have no Alphabet branding. On the other hand, Meta was created because the Facebook brand was down in the rabbit hole, almost every product of it has the Meta branding prominently displayed. Anecdotal but my parents know about Meta, because they use FB/Messenger daily. They have no idea what Alphabet is.
  - nerptastic 8mo ago
    I still see people refer to “FAANG” regularly. Though, there have been times I’ve read “MAANG”… doesn’t quite feel the same.
    - Macha 8mo ago
      I’ve heard MANGA suggested as the acronym with Facebook’s new name. Though maybe it should be MAAAN, said in a tone of exasperation at tech company activities

Is it possible all this was a major ploy to get around antitrust? I'm aware FB has been working on VR for a while even beyond the Oculus that they purchased but it's like... "Facebook bought Whatsapp, yes, but; we're Meta"

jitl 8mo ago
the rename came at a nadir of "Facebook" brand when there was lots of hate for misinfo, genocide incitement on the platform, etc. I think that's the more important context rather than "lol i bet we'll fool the antitrust guys w/ a quick name change"
- alex1138 8mo ago
  Yeah fair enough, it was a dumb comment Still, the rename to Meta was a cynical ploy regardless

jonny_eh 8mo ago

They needed to rename the company anyway to get away from bad press. It worked. I think they're quite happy with their current name.

throwaway314155 8mo ago
> It worked. Debatable.
- static_motion 8mo ago
  Is it really? Instagram, arguably the most popular (or maybe just behind TikTok, I'm not sure) social network currently, has successfully disengaged from the tainted Facebook name entirely. It may seem like a small thing but I do think that has a deep impact on the average person's perception of the service. Especially in the younger generation, the Facebook name has a definite "ick" to it (is that what the kids say these days?), even if it's just because it's the "boomer social network" and not because of the myriad privacy concerns associated with it.
paxys 8mo ago
Yup. The Facebook brand was long dead, and Meta is a good tech name even outside of AR/VR or metaverse. The fact that no one calls the company Facebook anymore shows that the rebrand was successful.
- gambiting 8mo ago
  >> The fact that no one calls the company Facebook anymore shows that the rebrand was successful. Don't they? I have to remind myself that it's actually called Meta, I always call it facebook.
- jorvi 8mo ago
  Very few outside of tech call it Meta. Just like no one calls Alphabet "Alphabet", they just say "Google".
  - anvuong 8mo ago
    It's very different though. Alphabet was created more for financial book keeping. Google apps have no Alphabet branding. On the other hand, Meta was created because the Facebook brand was down in the rabbit hole, almost every product of it has the Meta branding prominently displayed. Anecdotal but my parents know about Meta, because they use FB/Messenger daily. They have no idea what Alphabet is.
- nerptastic 8mo ago
  I still see people refer to “FAANG” regularly. Though, there have been times I’ve read “MAANG”… doesn’t quite feel the same.
  - Macha 8mo ago
    I’ve heard MANGA suggested as the acronym with Facebook’s new name. Though maybe it should be MAAAN, said in a tone of exasperation at tech company activities