Meta? Horizon? FB? Facebook Renaming Report Sparks Industry Guesses

Facebook Renaming: Suggestions on Twitter included simple ones like "FB" and a return to "The Facebook."

The report that Facebook Inc. plans to change its corporate name prompted a flurry of online speculation as industry followers rushed to register their guesses. My best guess for the new name: "Meta"But I'd prefer something more classic like simply "A Mark Zuckerberg Production"

Suggestions on Twitter included simple ones like "FB" and a return to "The Facebook." The Verge, which reported the plan on Tuesday, said the new name could have something to do with "Horizon" after a virtual reality platform the company has been developing. That would be a nod to Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg's ambition for Facebook to eventually be known better for its metaverse -- referring to the trendy proposition that the next evolution in online connectivity will be people living, working and interacting in an immersive virtual world -- than its social network.

"Meta" is another contender put forward by, among others, Samidh Chakrabarti, the company's former civic integrity chief. The web address meta.com currently redirects to meta.org, the home of a biomedical research discovery tool developed under the stewardship of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is co-founded by the Facebook CEO. That suggests Zuckerberg has a head start on any other contender looking to secure the ultimate name for a metaverse firm.

The aim of the rebranding would be to reposition Facebook as a metaverse company, The Verge said, with the marquee apps and services like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp likely maintaining their branding under a new parent structure not unlike that practiced by Google and its parent Alphabet Inc. Facebook declined to comment on the report.