Meta Platforms grew from TheFacebook, Inc., founded in 2004, into one of the world’s largest technology companies, owning Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Threads. Headquartered in Menlo Park, California, its business has remained heavily dependent on advertising, which supplied 97.8 percent of revenue in 2023. The company rebranded from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021 to emphasize ambitions in the metaverse and virtual reality. Its 2012 initial public offering was among the largest in U.S. history but opened amid technical problems, investigations, and lawsuits. Despite setbacks, failed ventures, profit declines, and layoffs, Meta retained a major global role in the digital economy.