Facebook to change its name next week, report says

Facebook, the social media company that's been a massive part of our lives for the last decade or so, might not be called Facebook anymore. The change may happen as soon as next week.

The news comes from The Verge, which quotes a source with direct knowledge of the matter. According to the report, CEO Mark Zuckerberg will talk about the name change at Facebook's Connect conference, scheduled for Oct. 28, but the announcement could happen sooner than that.

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There are very few details about what the new name may be, or whether it's going to be a complete rebrand of Facebook, the service, or perhaps a rebranding of the company while the product stays the same (think Google's Alphabet moment). According to the report, the name change is secret to all but few employees, and it could have something to do with Facebook's recent focus on the metaverse and the company's VR service, Horizon.

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Facebook has all but conquered the social media world, and if the company wants to expand, it has to look beyond its current core properties: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Given Zuckerberg's focus on virtual and augmented reality in recent years — he did literally say in July that Facebook "will effectively transition from people seeing us as primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company" — it's likely that the name change will have something to do with that. And given the amount of (not undeserved) bad press and lawsuits Facebook has seen in recent years, the company might feel it's time for a fresh start.

I've reached out to Facebook and a spokesperson told me the company doesn't comment on "rumour or speculation."