Mark Zuckerberg created the Harvard photo-rating site Facemash in 2003, a year before Facebook launched. Rebranded as Meta in 2021, the company has increasingly shifted toward AI and launched its Muse personal agent in September 2026.
Facemash let users compare Harvard students’ photos and vote on who was more attractive; the university shut it down within days amid student outrage and copyright complaints. Facebook went public in 2012 at $38 a share, acquired Instagram for about $1 billion that year and agreed to buy WhatsApp for about $19 billion in 2014. Meta’s apps had 3.60 billion daily active users worldwide in June 2026.
Facebook’s data-privacy troubles included a $5 billion FTC fine in 2019 for privacy violations and deceptive practices related to user data. The company also paid $100 million to settle SEC charges over misleading investors about data-misuse risks. Reality Labs recorded a $19.193 billion operating loss in 2025. In August 2026, Meta agreed to stronger child-safety measures on Facebook and Instagram in a settlement with state attorneys general that could cost up to $18 billion and ended a trial over teen social media addiction.
