Meta Platforms, Inc. is a multinational technology company that specializes in online advertising, social media, and virtual reality. It was founded in 1998 as Facebook, Inc. and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus VR, as well as other apps and services. The company's mission is to connect people and provide them with a platform to share and discover content. Meta is one of the largest and most influential companies in the technology industry.