Facebook is rebranding everything but faces the same old problems

Nearly four months ago, amid a firestorm of critical coverage stemming from a whistleblower's leaks, Facebook shifted its strategic focus to building an immersive version of the internet it calls the "metaverse" and changed its company name to Meta.

This week, the company continued with its rebranding campaign. The News Feed, for years the centerpiece of the Facebook user experience and also central to some of its controversies, was rebranded simply as Feed. Its employees, previously known as Facebookers, became Metamates. And its corporate values got a refresh, too.

Gone are corporate maxims like "be bold." Instead, the company introduced guidelines such as "focus on long-term impact" and "be direct and respect your colleagues." Mark Zuckerberg, the company's cofounder and CEO, said the changes were needed because "we're now a metaverse company, building the future of social connection."