Who owns Facebook? A deep dive into Meta’s 22 years of operations

Ever since its launch in 2004, Facebook has been one of the most influential social networking sites in the world, and it remains so until this date. By knowing who the people responsible for Facebook’s development are, business owners can gain important insights into how digital platforms are built and developed. In this article, MKT Software will explore what it is, who owns Facebook, and how Meta has grown into a company shaping the future of digital interaction

I. What is Facebook?

Facebook is a social networking platform that enables users to build digital identities, connect with others, and interact through content and communication tools. While it was commonly known as a place to share posts or stay in touch with friends; in recent years, Facebook is considered more as a data-driven social infrastructure. At its core, Facebook operates on a system known as the social graph, which maps relationships between users, content, and entities such as Pages and Groups. This structure allows Facebook to algorithmically deliver personalized content through the News Feed, making it not just a communication tool, but also a content distribution engine.

II. Who owns Facebook? 

At its core, Facebook is not an independent company but a product owned and operated by Meta Platforms, Inc – a publicly traded corporation listed on the NASDAQ.

2.1. What is Meta?

Meta Platforms, Inc. is the parent entity that owns Facebook and several other major platforms. It is a technology conglomerate focused on building interconnected digital ecosystems, with Facebook being just one component within a broader ecosystem. Some of Meta’s core products include: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Beyond these platforms, Meta has also made significant investments in the metaverse through its Reality Labs division, which focuses on developing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies.

2.2. Meta ownership

As with most large technology firms, Meta’s ownership is distributed among a mix of institutional and individual shareholders. Major institutional investors include firms such as Vanguard Group (7.6% – 8.9% equity), BlackRock (6.6% – 7% equity) and Fidelity (5% – 6% equity), all of which hold significant stakes due to their large index and mutual funds.  However, unlike many public companies where ownership aligns closely with control, Meta’s governance introduces a unique dynamic that concentrates decision-making power, being its dual-class shares structure.

2.3. Mark Zuckerberg’s controlling power

Although Meta has millions of shareholders, its dual-class share structure separates economic ownership from voting power. In this model, Meta issues two primary types of shares:

• Class A shares, which carry one vote per share and are available to the public
• Class B shares, which carry significantly more voting power (10 votes per share)

Because of this structure, Mark Zuckerberg retains majority voting control by holding both classes of shares, with his Class B shares alone giving him approximately 61% of the voting power. In practice, this means that although Facebook is owned by Meta, Mark Zuckerberg retains control over long-term strategy and major decision-making, allowing him to shape the company’s direction without being overridden by other shareholders.

III. History of Meta Inc.

To understand why Mark Zuckerberg has such extensive control over Meta’s direction through Class B shares, it is important to examine the history of Facebook and its development.

3.1. Founding of Facebook (2004)

Facebook was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, alongside Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes while they were students at Harvard University. What began as a campus-exclusive social directory originally called “TheFacebook”, quickly  grew and expanded to the public by tapping into a fundamental human need: identity-based online connection. Mark Zuckerberg’s role in this early phase was not merely that of a co-founder, but the primary architect of the product vision and technical execution.

3.2. Major milestones

Meta’s evolution from a single social network into a multi-platform technology ecosystem has been driven by a series of strategically orchestrated milestones, many of which were directly influenced by Zuckerberg’s long-term vision.

• 2012 – Initial Public Offering (IPO): Facebook went public in 2012, marking one of the largest tech IPOs in history at the time. During this milestone, Zuckerberg ensured that control remained centralized through the implementation of the mentioned dual-class share structure.
• 2014 – Acquisition of WhatsApp: In 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion, which reflected Zuckerberg’s expanding vision of Facebook Inc. moving beyond traditional social networking.
• Expansion into mobile-first and global markets: Under Zuckerberg’s leadership, Facebook underwent a critical transition from desktop to mobile. Recognizing the shift in user behavior early, he reoriented the company’s engineering and product teams around a mobile-first strategy.

3.3. Rebranding to Meta (2021)

The rebranding from Facebook, Inc. to Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021 represents one of the most significant strategic pivots in the company’s history. This transition to Meta decoupled the corporate identity from the Facebook platform, allowing the company to reposition itself as a broader technology innovator. More importantly, it formalized Zuckerberg’s long-term ambition to build the metaverse – a persistent, immersive digital environment that extends beyond traditional social media. Through the rebrand, Meta repositioned itself not just as a social media company, but as a future-oriented technology ecosystem.

III. Final thoughts

Meta’s journey demonstrates how a company can evolve beyond its original identity to shape multiple dimensions of the digital world. From dominating social media to investing heavily in the metaverse, its influence continues to expand even within this increasingly competitive industry.