Meta Platforms, Inc. is the company that owns Facebook and Instagram. It's a tech giant with a diverse portfolio of products and services.
Meta Platforms, Inc. was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. He created a social media platform called Facemash, which later evolved into Facebook.
The company's name was changed to Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021, reflecting its expanded focus beyond social media.
On a similar theme: Klout Inc
Ownership Structure
The company that owns Facebook and Instagram is Meta Platforms. Meta is a publicly-traded company, meaning it's not owned by a single person or group.
Meta's majority shareholder is Mark Zuckerberg, who owns 13% of its stake as of January 2024. The largest company shareholder is Vanguard Group Inc.
Who Owns Meta?
Meta Platforms Inc. is a publicly-traded company, meaning it's not owned by a single person or group. However, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the majority shareholder, owning 13% of its stake as of January 2024.
The largest company shareholder is Vanguard Group Inc. Meta is a publicly-traded company, giving it a unique ownership structure.
The company changed its name from Facebook Co. to Meta in 2021, marking a significant shift in its branding and identity.
Who Owns WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is owned by Meta, a company that acquired it in 2014 for $19 billion. This acquisition marked a significant shift in the ownership structure of the popular messaging app.
Board of Directors
Meta's board of directors is made up of 13 members, with most of them also being shareholders. This means they have a significant amount of influence over the company's decisions.
As of early 2025, the board members include Meta's founder and current chairman and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. He's been at the helm since the company's inception.
Peggy Alford joined the board in 2019, bringing with her executive leadership experience from companies like PayPal and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. She owns 8,385 Meta shares.
Marc Andreessen, a co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, has been on the board since 2008. He also co-founded Netscape and has held leadership roles at several technology companies, including AOL. Andreessen owns 48,131 Meta shares.
Here's a list of the current board members, along with their background and number of shares owned:
- Zuckerberg, Mark - Founder and CEO, 0 shares
- Alford, Peggy - Executive leadership experience, 8,385 shares
- Andreessen, Marc - Co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz, 48,131 shares
- Arnold, John - Co-founder of Arnold Ventures, 423 shares
- Elkann, John - CEO of Exor, 0 shares
- Houston, Andrew - CEO of Dropbox, 11,359 shares
- Killefer, Nancy - Senior partner at McKinsey, 11,442 shares
- Kimmitt, Robert - Senior international counsel at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, 9,988 shares
- Songhurst, Charlie - Technology investor, 0 shares
- Tan, Hock - President and CEO of Broadcom, 423 shares
- Travis, Tracey - Executive vice president and CFO of Estée Lauder Companies, 11,442 shares
- White, Dana - President and CEO of United Fighting Championship, 0 shares
- Xu, Tony - CEO, chairman, and co-founder of DoorDash, 5,544 shares
Investing and Shareholders
Mark Zuckerberg is the founder and original developer of Facebook and is currently Meta's chairman and CEO. He owns nearly 345.5 million Meta shares, which gives him control of 61% of the company's voting power.
Sheryl Sandberg, Meta's former COO, owns nearly 1.4 million Meta shares, while Christopher Cox, the company's chief product officer, owns 416,313 shares. Susan Li, Meta's CFO, owns 121,119 shares, and Javier Olivan, the current COO, owns 117,397 shares.
You can invest in Instagram by buying shares of Meta Platforms within your brokerage account. Many traditional and Roth IRAs may also allow you to buy Meta stock.
If you prefer a more diversified approach to owning Meta, you can invest in shares of a mutual fund or ETF. Meta is readily available within equity funds because it is a member of the S&P 500, S&P 100, and the Nasdaq-100.
Here are some examples of funds that track these indexes and hold Meta as a top 10 position:
- iShares Core S&P 500 ETF, a low-cost fund that replicates the S&P 500
- iShares S&P 100 ETF, an ETF that focuses on the S&P 100 stocks
- Invesco QQQ, a popular ETF that tracks the Nasdaq-100
- Global X Social Media ETF, which invests exclusively in social media stocks
Investing in Meta provides exposure to Instagram's and Meta's other products and services, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Meta Quest virtual reality headsets, and its growing artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.
Business and Investing
You can invest in the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, Meta Platforms, by buying shares within your brokerage account. Many traditional and Roth IRAs may also allow you to buy Meta stock.
A sweeping antitrust case against Meta brought by the FTC and attorneys general from 48 states and territories is set to go to trial in April. Mark Zuckerberg is expected to be among the first witnesses called to the stand.
The FTC chair, Lina Khan, worries that executives at Meta are seeking a "sweetheart deal" in the Trump White House. Research has shown that Republicans circulated more unfounded claims, and far-right content was more engaging on Facebook.
Business
Meta Platforms Inc. owns and operates some of the largest social media platforms globally, including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Meta's dominance in the social media landscape is evident, with its platforms accounting for a significant portion of the world's monthly active users.
As of October 2024, Facebook had an estimated 3.07 billion monthly active users, making it the largest social media platform globally by this measurement.
Meta is also facing regulatory challenges, with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and attorneys general from 48 states and territories bringing a sweeping antitrust case against the company.
The FTC has been successful in its ongoing litigations against Amazon and Facebook, leading some to speculate that Meta may be seeking a "sweetheart deal" with regulators.
Intriguing read: Meta to Let Users Link Whatsapp with Instagram and Facebook
Meta to Follow Musk's Fact-Checking Cues
Meta has followed in Elon Musk's footsteps by announcing that it will stop working with third-party fact-checking organizations. Meta's decision was announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who cited concerns about bias in the fact-checking process.
Meta's content moderation approach has been criticized for being too restrictive, with Zuckerberg claiming that it has resulted in "censorship". This criticism echoes Musk's own concerns about the role of fact-checkers in online discourse.
The fact-checking process has been a contentious issue in the US, with Zuckerberg stating that it has "destroyed more trust than they've created". This statement suggests that the benefits of fact-checking may not outweigh the drawbacks in the eyes of Meta's leadership.
Key Information
Meta Platforms owns Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, giving it the highest concentration of active users globally.
Some of the largest social media platforms in the world are subsidiaries of other companies.
Microsoft and Alphabet own prominent social media networks, such as LinkedIn and YouTube.
Here's a breakdown of some of the major players in the social media landscape:
Featured Images: pexels.com
