Facebook’s Name Change an Effort to Rebrand and Focus On the ‘Metaverse’

Facebook is planning on changing its name in an effort to rebrand and focus on the “metaverse,” but CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly hasn’t settled on a name yet.

In the middle of one of the worst crises his company has ever faced, Mark Zuckerberg isn’t digging in and fixing the democracy-destroying problems he’s created. Instead, he’s reportedly planning to rebrand.

That’s according to a report from Platformer, which explains that Zuckerberg will speak about the new company name at Facebook’s Connect conference, which kicks off on October 28, though the new name could be announced sooner.

According to the information available, it seems this move is like Google reorganizing under the Alphabet name. That means it’s unlikely the Facebook app itself will receive a name change, instead there’ll be an umbrella business that all the company’s separate units sit under.

Usually, corporate name changes for a company of Facebook’s size require long-term planning and strategizing, so it seems unlikely that the company came up with the idea overnight — although it’s plausible that recent events could have sped up a decision already in the works.

Many have accused the company of creating a new brand to sidestep the flurry of regulation and bad press it has received in recent years — as backlash mounts from US Congress, the press, and public opinion over its privacy practices, negative public health impacts, and problems with hate speech.

Mark Zuckerberg has previously expressed his goals to expand the company brand — particularly into its “metaverse” worlds. Zuckerberg’s vision for the metaverse would use artificial and virtual reality technology to create a digital space, similar to the internet, in which people could use digital avatars to interact with one another in real time.

In its report Tuesday, The Verge suggested Facebook could change its name to “Horizon,” which is reportedly what it is calling its metaverse brand.

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