Meta Inc. (META), the company that owns Facebook, has grown into a global giant with a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:market capitalization of $1.224 trillion as of April 21, 2025. The company reported fiscal year 2024 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:net income of $62.3 billion on $164.5 billion in revenue, nearly all of which came from advertising.
澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Acquisitions have b🍬een key to growing these businesses and Meta’s revenue in general. Meta's strategy has been to buy potential rivals before they can get too big. In the process, the company sometimes has paid exceptionally high prices for some deals. The majority of the companies Meta has pu𓃲rchased have either been rolled into the company or ceased operations.
Below, we look in more detail at some of Meta’s most important acquisitions that still operate a꧋s stand-alone entities. The company does not provide a breakdown of how much profit or revenue each acquisition currently contributes to Meta.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook is the world’s most popular social media platform as measured by the number of monthly active users.
- Meta, the company that owns Facebook, also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, two other extremely popular platforms.
- The company has made many acquisitions over its history, most of which have been rolled into the company.
- Type of Business: Photo- and video-sharing app
- Acquisition Cost: $1.0 billion
- Acquisition Date: April 9, 2012
澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Instagram is a photo- and video-sharing social networking platform that was launched in 2010. Through the Instagram app, users can upload, edit, and tag photos and videos.
The company remained independent up until it was acquired by Meta for $1.0 billion in 2012. Meta bought Instagram as the photo-sharing company was garnering significant attention from venture capital firms and other investors. 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Some estimates indicate that Instagram generates more advertising revenue than its parent company.
When it acquired Instagram, Meta opted to build and grow the Instagram app independently from Meta’s main Facebook platform. Instagram remains a separate platform to this day.
- Type of Business: Mobile messenger service
- Acquisition Cost: $19.0 billion
- Acquisition Date: Feb. 19, 2014
Wh📖atsApp is a messenger and calling service available to users throughout the world. The platform was launched in 2009 as a low-cost alternative to standard text mes🔯saging services.
Throughout much of its history, WhatsApp has allowed users to send messages and make calls directly to other users for no cost, regardless of location. Users can also send photos, videos, and documents over the platform.
Meta bought WhatsApp at a time when the smaller company boasted more than 400 million active monthly users, making it a fast-growing potential rival to the Facebook network platform.
When Meta purchased WhatsApp, it was an independent company that had recently been valued at $1.5 billion. Although it is unclear exactly how much revenue WhatsApp generates, when it was acquired in 2014, WhatsApp generated a revenue of $1.29 million.
Fast Fact
As of April 21, 2025, Meta is the seventh-largest company in the world as measured by market cap.
Scape Technologies
- Type of Business: Visual positioning service
- Acquisition Cost: $40 million (estimated)
- Acquisition Date: January 2020
Meta purchased 75% of Scape Technologies in January 2020. Scape Technologies developed visual positioning services, which further developed location accuracy beyond the capabilities of GPS. The company offered products and services in 3D vision technology, robotics, 3D scanners, and various software. It was 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:liquidated in 2023, according to the United Kingdom government website.
How Many Acquisitions Does Facebook Have?
Meta, Facebook's parent company, has made 96 acquisitions over the course of its history. These acquisitions include WhatsApp, Instagram, Ozlo, Presize, and Supernatural.
What Was Meta’s Biggest Acquisition?
Meta’s biggest acquisition was WhatsApp in 2014, for which it paid $19 billion. WhatsApp is now the third most popular 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:social media platform as measured by the number of monthly active users (it's tied with Instagram).
Who Owns the Most Stock in Meta?
After founder Mark Zuckerberg (13.60%), the largest single owner of Meta stock is the investment management firm Vanguard. Vanguard owns 7.88% of Meta’s total shares outstanding. Vanguard Index Funds is next in line, at 6.93%.
The Bottom Line
Meta is one of the largest companies in the world. Wh𝓰ile it started out as Facebook, the company now owns and operates some of the largest platforms, including Fa🐈cebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, making it a true powerhouse in the technology world.