This evergreen history article uses authoritative archives and official records. Exact dates are used when documented; gradual inventions and rollouts are described as periods rather than being assigned a misleading single birthday.
Quick facts
- Facebook launched at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in February 2004.
- Mark Zuckerberg founded the service with Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes.
- Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012, WhatsApp in 2014 and Oculus in 2014.
- Facebook completed its initial public offering in May 2012.
- The parent company changed its name to Meta in October 2021; the Facebook app kept its name.
The Harvard launch
Facebook began as TheFacebook, a directory and social network for Harvard students. It allowed users to create profiles and connect within a trusted institutional network. The service expanded to other universities and then beyond education.
The company moved to Palo Alto, California, in 2004. Early investment and rapid adoption allowed it to compete with established networks such as MySpace.
News Feed and platform growth
The News Feed launched in 2006, changing Facebook from a collection of profiles into a stream of updates. Initial privacy concerns demonstrated that interface changes could affect social norms even when underlying information was already visible.
Facebook opened a developer platform in 2007, allowing games and applications to use the social graph. This increased engagement but also created privacy and data-governance risks.
Advertising and the social graph
Facebook built an advertising business based on identity, interests, connections and behaviour. Businesses could target audiences more precisely than in traditional mass media. The model funded free services and made Facebook one of the most influential advertising platforms.
The same data-driven model attracted criticism over surveillance, political targeting and the difficulty users faced in understanding how information was collected and used.
Mobile transition and Instagram
As users shifted from desktop computers to smartphones, Facebook needed stronger mobile products. In April 2012 it announced an agreement to acquire Instagram for approximately $1 billion. Instagram continued as a separate brand and grew into a major visual and creator platform.
Facebook completed its IPO the following month. Early mobile-advertising uncertainty later gave way to a highly profitable smartphone business.
WhatsApp and global messaging
Facebook announced its agreement to acquire WhatsApp in February 2014. WhatsApp had built a simple cross-platform messaging service with strong international growth. It remained a separate product while Facebook invested in infrastructure, calling, encryption-related features, business messaging and other services.
Oculus and the bet on immersive computing
In March 2014 Facebook announced the acquisition of Oculus VR. The company believed virtual reality could become a future social platform, not only a gaming device. Oculus products later became Meta Quest.
The investment required years of hardware, software and content spending. Adoption grew, but immersive computing remained smaller than smartphone social media.
Privacy crises and regulation
Facebook faced repeated scrutiny over content moderation, election interference, data access and harmful use. The Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018 intensified public concern about third-party access to user data and political profiling.
Regulators imposed fines and new privacy obligations. The company redesigned developer access and increased investment in security, integrity and transparency, though criticism continued.
The Meta rebrand
On 28 October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook Inc. would become Meta Platforms. The new brand grouped Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Reality Labs under one corporate identity.
The rebrand emphasised the metaverse: persistent digital spaces experienced through virtual and augmented reality. The Facebook app itself retained its name.
AI, Reels, Threads and smart glasses
Meta responded to TikTok with Reels across Instagram and Facebook. Threads launched in 2023 as a text-based social service connected to Instagram.
The company increasingly invested in recommendation AI, generative models, open model releases, data-centre infrastructure and AI-enabled glasses. Its future strategy combines large social audiences with artificial intelligence, advertising, messaging, wearables and immersive computing.
Common misconceptions
- Facebook the app and Meta the parent company are not the same name for every product.
- Facebook did not create Instagram or WhatsApp; it acquired them.
- The Meta rebrand did not eliminate the Facebook service.
- Social-network growth depended on both product design and a large advertising and infrastructure business.
Timeline: key years and locations
| Year | Location | Milestone | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2004 | Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA | TheFacebook launches | Begins as a student social network. |
| 2004 | Palo Alto, California, USA | Company relocates and expands | Moves into Silicon Valley and broader university markets. |
| 2006 | United States | News Feed launches and public access expands | Creates a continuous social-content stream. |
| 2007 | San Francisco, California, USA | Facebook Platform launches | Allows third-party applications to use the social graph. |
| 9 Apr 2012 | Menlo Park, California, USA | Instagram acquisition announced | Strengthens mobile visual sharing. |
| May 2012 | NASDAQ, USA | Facebook IPO | Makes the company publicly traded. |
| 19 Feb 2014 | Menlo Park, California, USA | WhatsApp acquisition announced | Expands global messaging. |
| 25 Mar 2014 | Menlo Park, California, USA | Oculus acquisition announced | Begins a major virtual-reality investment. |
| 2018 | United States and international markets | Cambridge Analytica scandal intensifies scrutiny | Accelerates privacy and regulatory pressure. |
| 28 Oct 2021 | Menlo Park, California, USA | Facebook company becomes Meta | Creates a broader corporate identity. |
| 2023 onward | Worldwide | Threads, generative AI and smart-glasses strategy expand | Combines social platforms with AI and wearable computing. |